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Foreign Minister Wang Yi will face the press on Friday morning to lay out Beijing’s foreign policy direction.
This comes as China faces an “increasingly complex and severe external environment”, according to this year’s government work report released on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has added to the challenges. Not even two months into his second term, Trump has refreshed a trade war with China and launched sweeping policy changes that have sent ripples across the world.
Meanwhile, Beijing has been positioning itself as a true advocate of free trade with repeated pledges to open to the world and uphold the multilateral global order.
In his press conference at the “two sessions”, Wang is expected to answer questions about China’s strained ties with the US, its position on the war in Ukraine and Beijing’s attempts to build stronger relations with Europe.
He is also expected to address China’s strategy in regions such as the Middle East and Africa as well as its relationships with neighbouring countries.
Reporting by Alyssa Chen, Meredith Chen, Shi Jiangtao, Dewey Sim, Orange Wang, Kawala Xie, Zhao Ziwen and Laura Zhou.