China: Politics

Domestic

Chinese diplomatic activity emphasized multilateral cooperation and peaceful dialogue, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi stating China and Europe are partners during meetings at the Munich Security Conference. Officials called for reforming global governance and received Spring Festival greetings from global leaders. Domestically, Xi Jinping visited Beijing residents ahead of the Spring Festival, extending holiday greetings to the public and military personnel. In party discipline matters, Lin Jingzhen, a former vice president of the Bank of China, was expelled from the Communist Party, part of a series of actions against senior officials. The government strongly criticized the decision to award the Dalai Lama a Grammy Award, labeling it 'anti-China political manipulation'.

International

The most significant engagements involved major powers. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping to discuss deepening cooperation; Merz asked China to use its influence regarding Ukraine. Separately, senior Chinese and U.S. diplomats, including Wang Yi and Antony Blinken, met in Munich to discuss stabilizing relations. Xi Jinping also held diplomatic calls with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump; with Putin, they praised their stabilizing alliance, and with Trump, they discussed easing trade tensions. A Hong Kong court sentenced media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under the national security law, a verdict China defended as an internal affair. China issued warnings on Taiwan, cautioning the U.S. that arms sales could affect a planned Trump visit and criticizing remarks by Japan's leader Sanae Takaichi. Other diplomatic activity included a visit by Uruguay's president to Beijing.