China’s confident Wang Yi rises to occasion in positive message to the world
- Foreign minister makes it clear that China will be a stabilising, cooperative force in international affairs, and calls on US to honour its pledges with a warning over Taiwan
Circumstances have centred attention on Foreign Minister Wang Yi. His press conference during the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress would normally have been overshadowed by one held by the premier on the final day.
But the cancellation of Premier Li Qiang’s meeting with journalists made Wang’s news conference the main one. It followed his reappointment to the foreign affairs post.
By all accounts Beijing’s top diplomat exuded confidence and authority, giving China a much needed face following predecessor Qin Gang’s unexplained disappearance.
Projecting China as a stabilising and positive force in international affairs, Wang cited Middle East and Ukraine peace initiatives, bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran to the negotiating table and safeguarding the UN and other international organisations. This was an attempt to refute the Washington narrative, which paints China as a challenge to the international system.
Without directly naming the United States, Wang contrasted what China is doing in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa with what the US and others are doing.
He pointed out the overall trend is the inevitable rise of the whole developing world, not just China. China is going to focus on working with the developing nations to reform the world order to make it fairer.
Initiatives raised by China – such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Belt and Road Initiative – are all growing and becoming more influential. China will double-down on Africa this year, with a summit in Beijing, and speed up negotiations with Asean and Latin American countries on economic development.
Wang was very firm on the US and Taiwan. He said any direct conflict between the US and China would bring unimaginable consequences to the world, and China wanted to work with the US to improve ties.
But he said the US was not honouring its pledge after the summits between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in November and continued to try to contain China. He said the US behaviour reflected lack of confidence.
‘The next China is still China’: Wang Yi pushes back against foreign sceptics
On Taiwan, the line was that Beijing would do its utmost to aim for peaceful unification, but would be ready to act if the bottom line was violated. It was a clear warning against Taiwan independence.
As with the US, China’s ties with Europe are strained by economic disputes, political tensions and the Ukraine war. One thing they are all agreed on, though, is that people-to-people exchanges are positive for greater understanding and the resolution of differences.
To that end, Wang announced that visa-free travel would be extended to more European countries later this month. That should go some way towards realising Beijing’s hopes that more countries will make it easier for Chinese citizens to travel.
