Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Beijing. The two leaders agreed to strengthen ties and expand cooperation. President Xi also held talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto earlier this week.

With a series of high-level engagements between China and Europe, where are diplomatic relations headed? 

Joining the discussion: 

• Klaus Larres is a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Professor of History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• John Gong is a China Forum expert and Professor at the University of International Business and Economics.  
• Klisman Murati is the Creator of the Global Power Index and the Founder of Pareto Economics, a global world affairs research consultancy.
• Einar Tangen is a Senior Fellow at the Taihe Institute and Chairman of Asia Narratives.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday held talks with visiting Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Both sides agreed to expand common interests and push bilateral ties to a new level https://t.co/Wpsruoj57h pic.twitter.com/rynNb2rWSa

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 12, 2024

Chinese President #XiJinping on Wednesday met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto via video link. pic.twitter.com/HLXqfTgkiz

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 10, 2024