For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the main objective during two global summits was to push for a peaceful world with fewer trade barriers so he can focus on reviving China’s economy. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin disrupted those plans.
In more than a dozen meetings with world leaders over a week in South America, Xi repeatedly sought to win assurances that nations would uphold the international free trade system as Trump threatens to put 60% tariffs on Chinese goods. He also continued to walk a tightrope regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which took center stage after Putin spooked markets by removing some guardrails on the use of nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, Xi urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to help resolve a tariff dispute with the European Union over electric vehicles and told French President Emmanuel Macron that China didn’t want to see the war in Ukraine escalate, adding that Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in its own way” to end the conflict.
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