Wang Yi photo:fmprc

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday kicked off a series of diplomatic activities,MKS sports which include visits to the UK, Ireland, and attending a slew of multilateral conferences namely the Munich Security Conference, a UN Security Council high-level event and G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. 

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will visit the UK and co-chair the 10th China-UK Strategic Dialogue, visit Ireland and attend the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany from February 12 to 17, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced Monday. 

At the MSC, Wang will speak at an event on China to share China's position on major international issues in light of the theme of the conference.

As the rotating President of the UN Security Council for February, China will hold a Security Council high-level event on February 18 under the theme of "Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance," the spokesperson said, adding that Wang will chair the Security Council event in New York.

Wang will also attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, from February 20 to 21, the spokesperson added.

High-level exchange

In UK, Wang Yi and his British counterpart David Lammy will revive the UK-China Strategic Dialogue, a forum last held in 2018 to discuss bilateral issues, per Reuters.

The dialogue was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the UK restricted some Chinese investment on worries over alleged national security and over issues related to Hong Kong.

The Labour government, in power in Britain since July 2024, has made improving ties with China one of its main foreign policy goals after a period under successive Conservative governments when relations plunged to their lowest level in decades, Reuters reported.

In October last year, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy paid an official visit to China, and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves also visited China in January, and co-chaired the 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue during her visit. 

Wang Yi's trip to the UK is mainly aimed at restarting the China-UK Strategic Dialogue, the approach of which is to prioritize communication, then solve differences and issues between Beijing and London, Li Guanjie, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times. 

As long as effective top-level dialogue mechanism is put in place, the frictions between China and the UK can be effectively addressed. At the very least, it will prevent a recurrence of the closed-minded stance toward China that characterized Conservative governments tenure, said Li.

At the same time, UK's chances of dodging Trump's trade war appeared to fade as US President blasted the UK's "huge" trade deficit with the US. Speaking from the White House as he signed an executive order to slap 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the US, Trump insisted there would be "no exceptions, no nothing … And frankly it may go higher," Politico reported. 

When asked if the UK would get an exemption, the president said: "We have a huge deficit with the UK Big difference."

The UK-US relationship has always been a crucial factor influencing China-UK relations. Currently, the shifts in the Trump administration's policies towards Europe have placed the UK under increasing pressure, Wang Shuo, professor at the School of International Relations of Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. 

Across Europe, including in the UK, people are recognizing that it is necessary to engage with China more actively under such circumstances. "One should not put all their eggs in one basket," Wang Shuo said.

As the new government of Ireland was just formed, China hopes that Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit will bring the two countries closer together for greater consensus, more cooperation and deeper friendship, so as to realize better and faster growth of the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation and contribute to the sound and steady development of China-Europe relations, Guo, the spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday. 

Anchor of multilateralism

Before the MSC kicks off, organizers have said in their pre-summit report that US President Donald Trump's proposed "land grabs" mean the US is no longer perceived as "an anchor of stability, but rather a risk to be hedged against," the Guardian reported on Monday.

The report, which takes as its theme the shift from a US-led, unipolar post-cold war era towards a multipolar world in which no single ideological outlook dominates, will form the backdrop to this year's conference.

The authors of the report also said the US president's effort to assert a new form of US primary will be undermined by "multipolarization" trend. Their report includes survey data showing the trend is more likely to be welcomed as a force for good in countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa and China.

When commenting on the report, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a Tuesday news conference that China stands for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We are committed to practicing true multilateralism, work for greater democracy in international relations and call for countries around the world to jointly safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold fairness and justice, and play a constructive role in resolving international and regional hotspot issues. China upholds win-win cooperation.

Under China's initiative, there will be a Security Council high-level open debate on February 18, under the theme of "Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance." As we mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations this year, the open debate aims to encourage countries to revisit the original aspirations of the UN, reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and the important role of the United Nations, including the Security Council, and to explore ways to reform and improve the global governance, according to Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced to skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting later this month as tensions between South Africa and the US continue to escalate, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola noted that since assuming the G20 presidency from Brazil, South Africa has proposed tackling a number of issues, including rising indebtedness affecting emerging economies.

"Solidarity promotes collective problem-solving. Our G20 presidency is not confined to just climate change but also equitable treatment for nations of the Global South, ensuring an equal global system for all. These are important principles that we remain open to pursuing and engaging the US on," Lamola added.

Wang Yi's participation in those multilateral platforms showcases that when some countries are creating great uncertainties and backpaddling globalization, China still chooses to "go high," Wang Huiyao, founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, who is scheduled to attend the MSC, told the Global Times. Wang Huiyao said China's active engagement with multilateral platforms also demonstrates China's determination to play the role as an anchor in defending multilateralism and maintaining the proper functioning of a multilateral world.

At present, this multilateral governance system is not yet fully mature. In the future, China will play an increasingly important role in the process of building this new multilateral governance system, said Wang Huiyao.