How a trip to Seoul by special envoy Yang Jiechi shows party’s diplomatic ambitions
Yang Jiechi went to South Korea in a government capacity but also as a Politburo member, as the Communist Party seeks to expand its influence
High-ranking Chinese politician Yang Jiechi’s two-day trip to South Korea is a sign that the Communist Party aims to take a bigger role in diplomacy, observers say – and the clue was in his three titles.
It came after a major shake-up of China’s government and party agencies was unveiled, along with a personnel reshuffle and constitutional revisions that aim to blur the line between party and state.
Yang went to Seoul on Thursday to share information about this week’s meeting between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He was sent in a government capacity as Xi’s special envoy – but he was also there as head of the party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission general office, and as a Politburo member.
But the nuances may have been lost on Yang’s hosts – South Korea’s foreign ministry and presidential office said they did not pay much attention to the titles he used for the trip. To them, he was Xi’s special envoy, and his South Korean counterpart was National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong.