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China Announces Double-Digit Budget Increase for Diplomacy

by Cobus van Staden
The Chinese (central) budget allocated for diplomacy since 2003. Source: Andrea Ghiselli, assistant professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA) of Fudan University.

China is sharply increasing its budget for diplomacy and influence-building around the world after three years of retreat from the world stage.

The announcement of a 12.2% increase follows Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s recent comment that “Chinese diplomacy has pressed the accelerator button” in the wake of its post-pandemic shutdown. Allocations for diplomacy fell by 11.8% in 2020 before creeping up by 2.4% in 2022.

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