Beijing nudged Tehran towards ceasefire

Taiwanese politician calls for ‘reconciliation’; Washington considers further chip controls

Observing China is the essential newsletter to understand the UK-PRC relationship, explained in the context of global developments.

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Following on from last week, leading officials around the world continue to beat a path to Beijing. Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, will visit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from 11th-15th April for his fourth visit in as many years.

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance of Canada, concluded his visit to the PRC last week, aimed at fostering a ‘pragmatic approach’ with Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the United States (US). Champagne met with He Lifeng, Vice Premier of the PRC, where both sides agreed to increase cooperation on financial services and hold a strategic financial dialogue later this year.

Champagne’s visit follows that of Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, in January, wherein a strategic partnership was signed between Ottawa and Beijing. This marks rapid progress in relations; before Carney’s visit in January, the last such Canadian visit to the PRC was in 2017. Relations deteriorated after Beijing detained two Canadian nationals in response to Ottawa’s extradition of a Chinese national to the US.

In March, a Canadian senator and Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) visited the PRC on a bridge-building mission, where, in light of improved bilateral relations, Beijing expressed its wishes that Ottawa will back its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); a major Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 12 economies in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Meanwhile, officials in Kabul have thanked the PRC for its mediation efforts in the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beijing is also extending its diplomatic outreach to engage other partners in its peace efforts for Iran, as officials in Tehran assert that the PRC pushed them towards accepting the ceasefire deal agreed with the US.

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