The Chinese president’s visit to Europe yielded little breakthrough on issues like trade and Ukraine. But it did show that Beijing prefers to work one-on-one to avoid collective opposition to its interests.

Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a high-profile European tour on Friday amid concerns in Europe over Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and European markets being flooded with cheap Chinese electric vehicles.

Xi’s first visit to the region since 2019 also comes amid growing suspicions that China is seeking to take advantage of divisions in Europe. And analysts pointed out that Xi’s itinerary was no coincidence.

Bertram Lang, a research associate at Goethe University in Frankfurt who specializes in China’s foreign policy, said that the countries on Xi’s tour — France, Serbia and Hungary — all have “special bilateral relationships” with Beijing.

Lang added that the Chinese leadership has gradually divided Europe into two groups, “those friendly and unfriendly to China.” And this trip aimed to emphasize relationships with the former.