As China’s political elite gather for the country’s annual legislative sessions this week, we examine the broader forces likely to influence policies and decision-making for the coming year. The fifth part of the series examines what’s in store for Beijing’s foreign policy.
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The world has been thrown into deeper uncertainty since the US-Ukraine talks collapsed last week, and as a truce in Gaza expired with no extension in place.
China – which portrays itself as a stabilising force – could seize the opportunity to play a bigger role in global governance amid the “chaos” brought by the Donald Trump administration, according to analysts.
Amid the global turmoil, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet the press on Friday to give a more detailed review of China’s foreign policy – an important update after the premier’s media briefing was permanently scrapped from the event starting last year.
Wang’s comments are likely to be closely parsed as the world searches for clues on Beijing’s position on the changing situations in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as how it is navigating its relationship with Washington six weeks after Trump’s return to the White House, analysts say.
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Yu Jie, a senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, said Wang’s press conference would set the tone for Beijing’s diplomatic direction this year, and observers would pay more attention given Trump’s “unconventional approach” to global issues so far.
“The world wants to see how China is responding,” she said, adding that issues ranging from China’s peace efforts in the Ukraine war to Taiwan to the South China Sea would be among the top issues to watch.