In early April, the French President and the head of the European Commission flew into Beijing.
Their joint trip was the latest in a push from European leaders to engage with China and persuade President Xi to take further steps to halt the Ukraine-Russia conflict- which has brought about an energy crisis with all its concomitant sufferings for Europe.
If the war rages on, there is no guarantee of a good year ahead for the Europeans as they are already struggling to keep the energy crisis at bay.