Li Focuses on Major Power Diplomacy, Not Global South, in G20 Bilateral Sessions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes part in a bilateral meeting after the G20 summit alongside Li Qiang, Prime Minister of China. (Photo by MICHAEL KAPPELER / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)

It’s customary during gatherings like the G20 summit that took place in Johannesburg this weekend that Chinese leaders pack the limited time they have for bilateral meetings in a speed-dating style format.

Premier Li Qiang, though, broke with that custom during this trip and instead met with only three leaders to focus largely on Beijing’s increasingly tense relations with Europe and its Asian neighbors:

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by Eric Olander

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