Busy agenda points to key role in world

This photo taken on Oct 16, 2022 shows the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

Visits by foreign leaders, two big events show China's strong global engagement

China has again drawn global attention over the past week with a highly packed diplomatic agenda involving four official visits by international leaders, an import expo that attracted enterprises from 127 countries and regions, and a global conference on wetland protection.

Analysts said the timing of the visits and the two grand events held by China, which took place less than two weeks after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, epitomized the strong desire of various nations to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the country and to explore the opportunities offered by its vast market.

"The string of high-level meetings is a testament to China's growing stature on the world stage, and its increasing willingness to engage with other countries on a wide range of issues," said Andy Mok, a research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, hosted visits by Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz from Oct 31 to Friday.

The president also delivered speeches via video link at the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo on Friday and the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on Saturday.

It was Trong's first overseas visit since he was reelected to the current position, and the first visit to China by Sharif, Hassan and Scholz since taking office.

During talks with the four leaders, Xi explained the key outcomes from the 20th CPC National Congress, envisioned the growth of bilateral relations and promoted a host of important cooperative projects.

Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department of American Studies, said one of the key messages from the talks is that China has remained true to its general direction of deepening cooperation with various nations and attaining win-win cooperation.

Guo Yanjun, director of China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of Asian Studies, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that Vietnam and Pakistan are both key neighboring countries of China, and the latest visits have charted the way forward in promoting bilateral relations and building a community with a shared future between both sides.

Su, from China Institute of International Studies, said the latest high-level exchange between China and Tanzania is another example of the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith being upheld by Beijing, and spoke volumes about the level of importance China attaches to unity and cooperation with Africa.

The whirlwind one-day visit by Scholz, who was accompanied by a team of German industry executives, marked the first visit by a European and G7 leader to China in almost three years.

In a social media post after his visit, Scholz highlighted reliability and trust as two values playing important roles in German and Chinese culture.

"At the same time, they form the basis of diplomatic relations and political partnerships. It is a good thing that we met in person and held talks," he wrote.

Su said the fact that the German chancellor has taken the lead among European leaders in visiting China and conducting face-to-face dialogues with Chinese leaders was a forceful response to theories about decoupling and set a fine example for positive interaction with China.

One of the major messages from Xi during the talks and his keynote speech at the CIIE was that China will continue to widen its opening-up and share opportunities with the world.

Mok, from CCG, said the visits by leaders from all over the world show that China is serious about its responsibility as "an increasingly important member of the global community, and demonstrate its confidence that its hard-won insights and experience can contribute to a safer and more hopeful world".