China is using its rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council to check the U.S.-led international order. After presiding over a high-level U.N. meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will visit Canada to broaden diplomatic contacts with North American allies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 22nd that Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China and minister of foreign affairs, will preside over a high-level Security Council meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York on the 26th.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a briefing that, in its capacity as this month's rotating Security Council president, China will convene a meeting under the theme "Safeguarding the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and strengthening the international system with the U.N. at its core."
Wang will remain in New York after the U.N. schedule and attend the "Group of Friends of Global Governance" meeting on the 28th. Meetings are also planned with the U.N. secretary-general and foreign ministers of other countries.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang will also visit Canada from the 28th to the 30th. During the visit, China plans to discuss implementation of the outcomes of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China in January, as well as international and regional issues.
Wang's visits to the United States and Canada come as China underscores its expanding influence on the international stage. On the back of the Beijing U.S.-China summit and the China-Russia summit, China has signaled its intent to broaden an independent diplomatic space beyond the U.S.-centered unipolar order.
Guo said, "Today, the world is accelerating through changes unseen in a century, with transformation and turmoil intersecting, and wars and conflicts unceasing," adding, "The international system with the U.N. at its core is facing unprecedented shocks and challenges."
He added, "As the rotating president of the Security Council, the high-level meeting convened by China will focus on issues of universal concern to the international community, including upholding the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and strengthening the authority and effectiveness of the U.N. and the Security Council."
China has recently criticized U.S. unilateral actions and the wars in the Middle East while emphasizing a U.N.-centered multilateral system. Accordingly, there are expectations that this Security Council meeting will focus on shaping critical opinion aimed at the United States.
The Canada visit is also seen as tied to messaging that checks the United States. Canada is a core U.S. ally, but its conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump has recently spilled over into military and security fields.
China and Canada have been easing strained ties since Carney's visit to China in January. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Carney drew attention by arguing that middle powers should unite against the influence of superpowers like the United States and China.
Guo said, "This visit by Wang is the first time in 10 years that a Chinese foreign minister has visited Canada at the invitation of the host," adding, "It is of significant importance in consolidating the improving trend in China-Canada relations."
He said, "Through this visit, China hopes to enhance political mutual trust with Canada and properly manage differences so as to drive continuous development of bilateral relations."