‘Two sessions’ 2024: Premier Li Qiang vows China’s ‘new type’ of diplomacy will pursue equality and order
Once thought inevitable, China overtaking US in GDP now far from certain
In the annual budget proposed by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, spending on diplomacy in 2024 would increase 6.6 per cent to 60.783 billion yuan (US$8.4 billion), a mild growth compared with the 12.2 per cent budget increase last year when Beijing resumed its diplomatic engagement after three quiet years under Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
While the total spending would be slightly shy of the pre-pandemic peak of 61.539 billion yuan in 2019, it marks a notable increase compared to Beijing slashing its diplomacy budget by 11.8 per cent in 2020 and 1.9 per cent in 2021 before a 2.4 per cent boost in 2022.
Over the past decade, China has steadily ramped up its diplomatic offensive as it tries to present itself as a key force in an increasingly multipolar world order, particularly in opposition to what Chinese state media describes as chaos in the US and Europe.
It also seeks to cast itself as a neutral leader in the developing world, from the Middle East to Africa, where calls for reform of the Western-dominated international system have mounted.
Xi is expected to host leaders from Africa for the China-Africa cooperation forum. It is part of a broader effort to deepen China’s influence in the resource-rich region and bring together countries in the Global South, which has been increasingly important to Beijing, especially when ties with the US and Europe are strained by economic disputes, political tensions and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Beijing is also seeking to expand its diplomatic outreach.
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Marcos Jnr says Manila determined to use diplomacy to resolve South China Sea row with Beijing
Under its traditional arrangement, China has four vice-premiers and five state councillors.