New era in Chinese foreign policywhere the Asian giant will not be limited to economic diplomacy, as it has been so far, but will actively intervene in international crises, his third presidential term seems to portend Xi Jinping which started yesterday.

In his first speech since being re-elected by the National People’s Congress on Sunday, the longest-serving president since the founding of the PRC in 1949 stressed that China “should actively participate in reforming the international order and building a system of global management”. In his speech, he lamented China’s suffering at the hands of the Western imperialist powers, stressed that the coming to power of the Communist Party “put an end to national humiliation” and put “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on an irreversible path.” ” Last Friday, China won a major diplomatic victory by successfully mediating the dispute between Riyadh and Tehran. Saudi Arabian and Iranian high officials signed an agreement in Beijing to normalize relations, reaffirming China’s active role in the region of the world, the Middle East, where after the Suez crisis in 1956, Washington and Moscow said the first word.

Building on this recent success, China ready to undertake a second, even more difficult and important for the international order, mediation, this time in Ukrainian. Citing sources familiar with Xi Jinping’s plans, Reuters reported that the Chinese leader is likely to visit Russia next week, accepting an invitation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. For its part, the Wall Street Journal reported that Xi plans to hold a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Chinese army will turn into a “Steel Wall”, Xi Jinping said after being re-elected for another five years as president.

Last month, Beijing presented a 12-point peace proposal to Ukraine. The Chinese proposal was rather vague in terms of the parameters of a peaceful solution, but met with cautious approval from Moscow and Kyiv, with each side setting its own (mutually exclusive) terms. The US tried to preempt the Chinese initiative by warning that China was preparing to provide Russia with weapons and ammunition, but Zelensky disputed this scenario.

In his speech after his re-election, Xi Jinping made special emphasis on the Taiwan issue. “We must strengthen the peaceful development of relations, resolutely oppose foreign interference and the activities of Taiwan’s separatist circles, and resolutely promote national unification,” he said. In the same speech, he stated that he would do everything for the People’s Liberation Army to become a “Steel Great Wall” that would effectively protect “the national sovereignty, security and development of the country.”

In London, the government of Rishi Sunak presented its new “Comprehensive Review” of British foreign and defense policy, calling China a “challenge of historic proportions.” The wording disappointed hardline conservatives who wanted China outright labeled “threat number one,” a move supported by short-lived former Prime Minister Liz Truss. The presentation of the new foreign policy framework in the House of Commons found Sunak in San Diego, California, where he discussed with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the next steps to implement the anti-China alliance AUKUS.

Endless centipedes

Fatal clashes in Bakhmut (Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine) continued over the weekend. Both defenders and forwards yesterday described the situation in Bakhmut as “very difficult”, expressing cautious optimism about the final outcome of the match. “All attempts to capture the city are repulsed by artillery, tanks and other weapons,” said Lieutenant General Oleksiy Sirksi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. “The closer we get to the city center, the tougher the fight, but we are advancing and will continue to advance,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner company of Russian mercenaries. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the International Criminal Court in The Hague is preparing to seek the arrest of Russians for the forced removal of children from Ukraine and the destruction of its infrastructure by the Russian military.