Beijing’s Busy Week of Diplomacy

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at China’s diplomatic (and not so diplomatic) moves, a new target for French protesters, and rocket attacks on Israel.

China was shut off from the world during the pandemic, but it is now opening up to great diplomatic effect.

On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss a range of issues, including trade, climate change, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two visiting leaders addressed Beijing’s role in the conflict, with Macron pushing Xi to put more pressure on Moscow to end the war.

China sees Russia as an essential ally, said Patricia Kim, an expert on China’s foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, largely because Xi views Russian President Vladimir Putin as key to eroding the Western-centric global order. “This is why Xi has not distanced himself more from Putin, despite the great reputational costs China has paid for doubling down on its strategic partnership with Russia,” Kim said in an email to Foreign Policy.

Also on Thursday, China mediated high-level talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran—the two nations’ most significant meeting since they cut ties seven years ago. This comes after Beijing played host to surprise talks last month between Riyadh and Tehran, where the Middle Eastern countries agreed to reestablish their diplomatic missions after having closed them in 2016. These efforts are a way for China both to advance its influence in the oil-rich region and to portray itself as an alternative peacemaker to the United States.

Amid all these diplomatic convenings, Beijing was also paying attention to a meeting halfway around the world: Tensions spiked on Wednesday after U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on U.S. soil, a historic first. Xi took the meeting as a provocation against Chinese sovereignty—China considers Taiwan to be part of China—and retaliated by sending an aircraft carrier toward the self-ruled island’s coastline.

The last time a major U.S. official met with Taiwanese authorities was in August 2022, when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew to Taipei, Taiwan. China immediately staged military exercises around Taiwan in a clear threat to the island’s security.

Last month, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou traveled to China to discuss improving ties between Taipei and Beijing. Because of this, Kim said, it’s unlikely Beijing will have such an aggressive response to Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy. However, nothing can be certain. “Beijing has not been known for subtlety when it comes to issues related to Taiwan, to the detriment of its own interests, and may choose to take harsher actions at a later date,” Kim said.

• Why India Downplays China’s Border Threat by Happymon Jacob

• Get Out of Russia by Natalia Antonova

• Europe’s Energy Crisis That Isn’t by Adam Tooze

Days of rage. French protests against Macron’s pension reforms entered their 11th straight day—and Parisians are expanding their targets. On Thursday, demonstrators forcibly entered investment giant BlackRock’s Paris office. Despite the corporation having played no part in the pension reforms, protesters targeted the company, which is the world’s largest asset manager, for its work with private pension funds.

Macron’s reforms aim to raise the country’s retirement age by two years to address a growing budget deficit. But to do so, he overrode a parliamentary vote last month. As journalist Michele Barbero argued for Foreign Policy, Macron has now lost the French public’s support.

Diamond intrigue. Brazil may be living its own Marie Antoinette moment. Former President Jair Bolsonaro underwent questioning at federal police headquarters in Brasília, Brazil, on Wednesday over an inquiry into diamond jewelry and other gifts given to the then-president and his wife by the king of Saudi Arabia. The controversy is over whether Bolsonaro should have accepted the packages—one of the jewelry sets was valued at $3.26 million.

Bolsonaro insists he did nothing wrong by accepting the gifts. However, critics have accused him of attempting to smuggle the expensive items into Brazil and evade customs duties. This is just the latest corruption accusation leveled at the former leader, who also faces charges for inciting the Jan. 8 attack on government buildings in Brasília.

Further escalation. Around 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israel on Thursday, according to the Israeli military. Six managed to strike Israeli territory. It was the largest Lebanese attack on the country since their 2006 war, which killed more than 1,300 people.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Thursday’s strikes come after Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The rockets from Lebanon came just a few hours after the militant group Hezbollah stated it would support “all measures” taken by Palestinians to defend Al-Aqsa.

In response to Thursday’s rocket barrage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to discuss how to respond. The U.S. State Department condemned the Lebanese rocket launch and called for “restraint, coordination, and calm.”

One of Africa’s most dangerous cobras took a surprise trip on Monday. A pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Welkom, South Africa, after discovering a Cape cobra curled up under his seat. Thankfully, he managed to land the plane safely with himself and all of his passengers intact. However, despite their best efforts, snake handlers were unable to locate the slippery stowaway, which presumably slithered out to embark on its next great adventure.