President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day sprint of back-to-back summits this weekend with leaders from Asia and the Middle East in what’s become the new norm for Chinese presidential diplomacy.
Before the pandemic, Xi was China’s most well-traveled leader in the Communist Era, regularly flying off to overseas summits and conferences — but that’s no longer the case today.
Now, the President mostly limits his international travel to just a few countries and those events that China can exert disproportionate influence, like the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS summits.
A new protocol emerged in January 2022 as China emerged from its pandemic-induced diplomatic hibernation when Foreign Minister Wang Yi set up camp in the eastern city of Wuxi. There, ministers and leaders could jet in without having to undergo China’s rigorous quarantine procedures and Wang would meet with them back-to-back.
Xi then later adopted that same practice of stacking meetings with visiting leaders, often on the sidelines of major events like the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the ongoing Asian Games now taking place in Hangzhou.
Key Highlights From Xi’s Weekend of “Speed Dating Diplomacy”
- SYRIA: President Bashar-al-Assad got what he wanted from Friday’s meeting with Xi when the Chinese president called on the West to end sanctions against Damascus and also offered Beijing’s assistance to rebuild the war-ravaged country. (REUTERS)
- KUWAIT: Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah met with Xi on Friday but the main focus of his trip was the seven MOUs that were signed, including one to finish the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port. The other deals were for projects in telecommunications, green energy and water infrastructure. (ARAB NEWS)
- TIMOR LESTE: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao met with Xi on Saturday and soon after announced the two countries had elevated diplomatic ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. This is important given China’s renewed focus on bolstering ties in SE Asia amid worsening tensions with other states. (ABC NEWS)
- NEPAL: Xi promised Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal more infrastructure investment during their meeting on Saturday as part of an effort to soothe anxieties back in Nepal that the country has little to show for signing up to the Belt and Road Initiative. (KATHMANDU POST)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? How the Chinese conduct diplomacy is undergoing a profound change in response to Beijing’s increasingly fraught ties with other major powers and many of its regional neighbors in Asia. This new format of short diplomatic sprints was once exceptional but now increasingly appears to be the norm.
SUGGESTED READING:
- Foreign Policy: The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy by Cindy Yu
- Reuters: Analysis: Upheavals in Xi’s world spread concern about China’s diplomacy by Greg Torode and Martin Quin Pollard
