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The turmoil disrupting China’s diplomatic priorities ahead of ‘two sessions’
- Leading diplomats Wang Yi and Qin Gang’s efforts to set the foreign policy stage have been hampered by balloon saga and Ukraine war
- But a look at their diaries in the past two months shows a focus on Europe and developing countries rather than the US
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This year’s “two sessions” – the annual meetings of the legislature and political advisory body – begin on March 4 and will complete a twice-a-decade leadership transition, with a reshuffle of top government jobs including the premier, and Xi Jinping set to secure a third term as president. As part of a series on what to expect from this key event, Kinling Lo looks at the general diplomacy direction in China.
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While some key positions are expected to be finalised at China’s annual parliamentary meetings which open this weekend, two senior diplomats have been laying the groundwork for the new term of government since the end of 2022.
Wang Yi and Qin Gang were appointed on December 30 – as director of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and foreign minister, respectively – and got straight to work, setting the scene for the government’s foreign policy agenda.
Their efforts were meant to set the stage for President Xi Jinping’s groundbreaking third term at the “two sessions” meetings of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
It did not turn out exactly as they could have expected just a few weeks ago, when the Chinese balloon saga erupted just as China-US relations seemed to be headed for some improvement after reaching their lowest point in decades.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China in early February was cancelled in the heat of spying accusations against Beijing, followed by weeks of the two powers trading barbs and dashing hopes for a reset in their troubled relations.
But Wang and Qin’s work since taking up their new positions has given the world a glimpse of Beijing’s priorities, not only in its US ties but also relations with Europe.
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