France, Serbia and Hungary rolled out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping as the Chinese leader made his first state visit to the European continent since 2019.

During his 5-day stay, President Xi hopes to strengthen political and economic ties with all three nations and by extension use the EU as leverage at a time when China's economy is struggling and the US remains reluctant to open up to Chinese companies.

The President is also looking to assuage EU concerns over China's support for Russia, two years into the Ukraine war.

On this episode of Morning Shot, Dr Lim Tai Wei, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the NUS East Asian Institute shares his insights.

Presented by: Emaad Akhtar & Audrey Siek
Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Photo credits: Straits Times