Trump-era trade stress leads Western powers to China

The prime minister's Beijing visit this week to promote "pragmatic" co-operation comes on the heels of advances from the leaders of Canada, Ireland, France and Finland. Most were making the trip for the first time in years to refresh their partnership with the world's second-largest economy. "There is a veritable race among European heads of government to meet with (Chinese President) Xi Jinping," Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, told AFP.