May. 12, 2025 |
China first. Since U.S. President Donald Trump declared a new round of global tariffs on April 2, Chinese diplomats have been unusually busy: They organized a meeting with their counterparts from Japan and South Korea—the first meeting among representatives of the three countries in five years. President Xi Jinping is in Russia now, at ceremonies commemorating the end of World War II, where he’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin and many other heads of state. Since April 2, Xi has already traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia—and next week, he’ll meet with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other Latin American leaders at a summit in Beijing.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has meanwhile met with more than 20 foreign leaders, including of Nigeria, Uzbekistan, and Switzerland. And last week, Beijing dropped sanctions against several members of the European Parliament that had been in place for four years.
What’s going on here?
—Michael Bluhm
