Diplomacy

• This has also meant that Chinese foreign policy has become more personalised and that Xi’s own diplomatic engagements offer potentially important clues about its direction.
• The international order is clearly in flux and a key driver of this change, by its own admission, has been China.
• Read more:
  Xi and Biden spoke on the phone for 105 minutes: what does this say about their relationship?

The European dynamic

• Engagements with Germany, however, also have a broader European, and especially EU dimension.
• Germany now has its own moderately hawkish China strategy, aiming to reduce economic reliance on Beijing.
• But Berlin is still considered softer than many other EU member states and therefore an important ally for Beijing within the EU and in EU-US deliberations on China policy.
• From a German and European perspective, the Russian conduct in the war against Ukraine remains a key concern.

Scholz and Xi on diplomacy

• These included sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the importance to explore diplomatic ways to end the war.
• What is significant is Scholz’s statement that rather than western military support for Ukraine, diplomacy now takes centre-stage.
• China’s approach to managing, and shaping, the fluidity of the international system relies predominantly on diplomacy, albeit with a significant coercive streak.

Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU's Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

• China’s Ministry of Commerce has finally ended its tariffs on Australian wine, which had been imposed for more than three years at rates as high as 218.4%.
• In 2019, Australia sold A$1.24 billion worth of wine to China, surpassing France to capture a market share close to 40%.
• Last year, US imports of Australian wine actually fell by about 20%, the UK held flat, and sales to India remain trivial.

Since we’ve been gone

• The departure of Australian wine from the Chinese market created a gap that was quickly filled by other suppliers.
• But the size of China’s imported wine market has also more than halved over this period, falling from A$3.3 billion in 2019 to A$1.5 billion last year.
• On re-entry, Australian wine producers are set to face stiff competition in a significantly smaller market.
• Major Australian producers like Treasury Wine Estates have maintained sizeable staff headcounts in China, expecting the Chinese market to return to prominence in their business.

Lessons for Australia – could it happen again?

• Conversely, Australia used the WTO to challenge Chinese tariffs on barley and wine.
• To maintain the WTO’s effectiveness, Australia and China have a shared interest in restoring its appellate mechanism, the Appellate Body.
• It also offers broader lessons for Australia and is another data point confirming a positive trajectory in the overall bilateral relationship.
• Read more:
  Positive outlook, with a dash of humour: Wang Yi's visit sets the tone for a real diplomatic reboot

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• During her visit to Roger Williams University in 2021, Basij-Rasikh spoke about women’s rights and access to girls’ education in Afghanistan.
• COMMENCEMENT DATE: The university-wide Commencement celebration for undergraduate, graduate and law students of the Class of 2024 will be held on Friday, May 17.
• LIVESTREAM: RWU will provide a livestream enabled for broadcast and radio recording of the main university ceremony.
• PHOTO CAPTION: Shabana Basij-Rasikh, founder of the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA), will deliver the keynote speech and receive an honorary degree at the RWU Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 17.

• MONTRÉAL, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - CDPQ today announced the appointment of Rana Ghorayeb as Executive Vice-President and Head of Real Estate.
• Rana Ghorayeb has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Otéra Capital, a CDPQ subsidiary specialized in real estate lending, for nearly five years.
• Before joining CDPQ in 2012, Rana Ghorayeb already had an impressive track record in real estate in renowned institutions.
• Rana Ghorayeb will start in her new position on the same date, and will report to the President and Chief Executive Officer of CDPQ.