Throughout the pandemic, China was cut off from the outside world, but it is now opening up with significant diplomatic benefits.
Emmanuel Macron of France, Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Thursday to discuss a variety of topics, including trade, climate change, and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
Beijing’s involvement in the conflict was discussed by the two visiting presidents, with Macron urging Xi to exert more pressure on Russia to put an end to the war.
China regards Russia as a crucial friend, according to Patricia Kim, a Brookings Institution expert on Chinese foreign policy.
In large part because Xi believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is critical to undermining the Western-dominated international system.
In spite of the significant reputational costs China has incurred for intensifying its strategic alliance with Russia, this is why Xi has not retreated farther from Putin, Kim wrote in an email to Foreign Policy.
The two countries’ most major encounter since they severed ties seven years ago occurred on Thursday as well thanks to China’s mediation of high-level talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
This comes after China hosted unexpected meetings between Riyadh and Tehran last month, where the Middle Eastern nations decided to reopen their embassies after shuttering them in 2016.
China uses these initiatives to strengthen its position in the oil-rich region and to position itself as a rival mediator to the United States.
Beijing was also paying attention to a summit halfway across the world among all these diplomatic gatherings: Following the historic meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on American soil on Wednesday, tensions increased.
China considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory, thus Xi interpreted the meeting as a challenge to its sovereignty and retaliated by sending an aircraft carrier towards the island’s coast.
When then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi travelled to Taipei, Taiwan, in August 2022. It was the last time a senior American official had a meeting with Taiwanese officials.
China promptly set up military drills around Taiwan, clearly endangering the safety of the island.
Ma Ying-jeou, a former president of Taiwan, visited China last month to talk about enhancing relations between Taipei and Beijing.
Kim asserted that as a result, Beijing is unlikely to react to Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy in such an aggressive manner. Nothing, however, is certain.
Kim stated that Beijing “has not been renowned for subtlety when it comes to matters pertaining to Taiwan, to the detriment of its own interests, and may opt to take harsher moves at a later time.”
