China's top diplomat Wang Yi to visit US and Canada to pave way for Xi trip
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the UN Security Council in New York on May 26 and visit Canada from May 28 to 30. The trip aims to tighten the agenda before President Xi Jinping's planned U.S. visit in September. Beijing has scheduled an extended meeting between Wang and Rubio.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing on Friday that 'Wang Yi will chair the UN Security Council high-level session on international governance of artificial intelligence technologies on May 26, followed by engagements in Ottawa, Vancouver, and Toronto on May 28-30.' The trip marks the first high-level diplomatic contact since the May 13 Beijing summit between Trump and Xi.
The centerpiece of Wang's New York agenda is a bilateral with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The meeting is expected to cover Asia-Pacific energy security after the Iran war, Taiwan Strait tensions, the $30 billion mutual tariff reduction schedule, and export controls on Chinese fentanyl precursor chemicals. The Canadian agenda is understood to include lithium and cobalt supply chain investments, softening the tariff regime on Chinese electric vehicle exports, and a Pacific fisheries agreement.
Chinese analysts characterise the trip as a 'reality check.' Wu Xinbo, professor of international relations at Fudan University, said: 'Wang's task is to produce concrete deliverables for the September Xi-Trump U.S. summit; specifically, progress on technology export controls and the Taiwan arms sale dossier is essential.' In Ottawa, Wang's meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney will also address the implications of Alberta's separation referendum for the Chinese investment market. Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs noted it is the first high-level Chinese foreign minister visit since 2017.
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