Since the start of the pandemic, the New York Times reports that China’s president Xi Jinping has not made an official visit to a different country. Even without the leader making talks though, China’s voice in international affairs has been widespread due to several representatives in place of Xi, most notably the foreign minister Wang Yi.
Yi, who has been polite yet firm, has visited over 30 countries this year, all over the globe. His main encounters have been focused on Asian countries, with Central Asia being a hot topic as of late for China as they look over their neighbors.
Yi also has a strong take on the many issues China has been the center of, such as the nation’s position on Taiwan, their underlying support of Russia, and the Uyghurs. On Taiwan, Yi takes a strong nationalist approach, believing that Taiwan should rightfully be a part of Chinese territory, despite the recent issues regarding and enforcing that matter. On Russia, the foreign minister has notably skipped over many visits in Europe due to the fact that supporting a government that is currently trying to take over Ukraine is not appealing for many. Yi instead has visited many countries of Muslim faith, to try and sway the rest of the world that China is indeed friendly with the Uyghur muslims. No one truly believes them.
Regardless, China will continue to send Wang Yi to do their business in relations. Whether countries actually listen to them, that’s another argument.
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Image Credits: https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/topics_665678/kjgzbdfyyq/202203/t20220301_10646673.html
