China’s diplomatic strategy has undergone a conspicuous shift, with Beijing conducting far fewer overseas state visits, opting instead to welcome a steady stream of foreign leaders to the capital. According to data compiled by the South China Morning Post, Beijing is placing greater emphasis on neighbourhood diplomacy and engagement with European middle powers. The changing dynamic reflects Beijing’s shift towards favouring high-level multilateralism, in a sign of growing confidence and an...
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi called for “unity and the safeguarding of international justice” during a meeting with UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, urging a global front against the “law of the jungle” amid deepening geopolitical tensions. During the talks in Beijing, Wang told Baerbock that multilateralism faced “severe challenges” from unnamed powers prioritising “might over right”, a veiled critique of Washington. “Certain countries pursue a policy of ‘strength...
The United Nations very much relied on China for its environmental protection role, including its major funding for biodiversity conservation in the Global South, the organisation’s environment chief said on Thursday. Speaking on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Kazakhstan, Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said that “China has always been an active player in multilateralism”. Andersen said that within UNEP, they “very much rely on...
China’s central bank chief has urged the IMF to serve as a bulwark against “rising unilateralism”, at a time when escalating trade restrictions and an intensified Middle East conflict threaten energy and food security. The International Monetary Fund should “take a clear stand against protectionism and defend multilateralism”, People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng said in a statement to the fund’s International Monetary and Financial Committee, for its 53rd meeting, held on Thursday and...
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has met European Union representatives to discuss opportunities for cooperation, with the chief executive saying both sides highlighted a shared belief in multilateralism amid increasing tensions and market turmoil. Ambassador Harvey Rouse, head of the EU Office in Hong Kong, called for both sides to work together, describing the 27-member bloc as a “very dependable partner in an increasingly volatile world”. Local officials attending the lunch meeting on...