Jan. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –
China’s former foreign minister, Wang Yi, has become Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top foreign policy adviser, replacing veteran Yang Yiechi, who resigned at the age of 72.
Yi will head the Directorate of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party. This Sunday he published an article in Qiushi, the star magazine of the Chinese Communist Party, in which he describes his foreign policy priorities for the coming years. This is, therefore, the first official sign indicating that he has assumed office.
In said publication, he has promised to deepen ties with Russia, achieve closer high-level communication with Europe and correct the course of bilateral relations with the United States, as reported by the newspaper ‘South China Morning Post’.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China decided on Friday, December 30, to remove Wang Yi from the post of foreign minister he had held since 2013. He will be replaced by the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang.
Qin becomes foreign minister after a period at the head of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, a position for which he was appointed in July 2021. During this time, Beijing’s policy towards Washington has oscillated between frontal criticism and attempts to rapprochement .
The new minister, who in the past served as spokesman for this same department, has on occasions distanced himself from Beijing’s official line, for example, dispelling fears of a potential war with Taiwan or admitting that China could have done more to prevent Russia invade Ukraine.
