The report on human rights in Xinjiang, released at the last minute by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, was an unpleasant blow to China’s leadership, which had considered her last visit a success. However, it remains unclear how much influence China may have had over its final version.
Highlights:
- With the fast-approaching 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress – at which anything can happen – China’s stringent Covid-19 policies remain firmly in place, as the government’s key priority is maintaining social stability.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping’s latest diplomatic maneuvers in Hong Kong and abroad are but propaganda aimed at domestic audiences, which seeks to further entrench his leadership and “irreplaceability” in Chinese politics before his unprecedented third term in office.
- The report on human rights in Xinjiang, released at the last minute by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, was an unpleasant blow to China’s leadership, which had considered her last visit a success. However, it remains unclear how much influence China may have had over its final version.
- The visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representati- ves, Nancy Pelosi, was met with an aggressive response from China, as well as its efforts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
- Southeast Asian countries increasingly struggle to balance their relations with China and the U.S. Their reactions to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan were elusive, with each at the same time quickly emphasizing its unchanged position regarding the “One China” policy.
- The Sino-Russian relations have not seen any significant changes, but the security cooperation is deepening. Although China’s central government keeps attempting to demonstrate its neutrality, Chinese diplomats have not always succeeded in doing the same.
Associate Expert of RESC China Research Program, PhD student at VU Institute of International Relations and Political Science. Raigirdas holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian and Pacific Studies (Chinese Studies) from Lancashire Central University (UK). After studying, he went to China, where he spent five years studying and working. Raigirdas completed a year-long intensive Chinese language and culture course at the Sichuan University (Confucius Institute Scholarship). In 2020, he graduated from Sichuan University (China) with a Master’s degree in International Relations in Chinese. Raigirdas interests: sinology, Chinese foreign and domestic policy, history of the PRC, relations and conflicts between East Asian countries.
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