2015: China’s year of diplomatic highs and domestic lows

This has been a complex year for China and its government – a mix of “sweet and sour”. The sweetness came mainly in the external (foreign policy) domain, while the sourness was more evident internally.

Rarely, if ever, has China had a more active year in diplomacy. President Xi Jinping (習近平) was seemingly everywhere, and his multiple state visits met with marked successes. China’s “First Lady”, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), accompanied her husband on most visits and left her own very positive impression in many countries. Together, Xi and Peng are very effective emissaries of their nation around the world and they deserve credit for their personal diplomacy.

Xi and Peng’s European diplomacy was highlighted by their regal trip to the UK in October. The British extended the “highest honours” throughout the four-day state visit – from Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Guildhall, a 103-gun salute and a ride down The Mall in Queen Elizabeth’s jewel-studded diamond jubilee coach, and other accolades – a degree of pomp and circumstance that Downing Street has accorded few foreign dignitaries in the past. As it unfolded, the government of David Cameron gratuitously proclaimed that the UK was “China’s best partner in the West” and a “golden era” in British-China relations had opened. The visit netted business deals worth £30 billion (HK$345 billion) and seemed to put the fluctuant relationship on more solid footing, although domestic commentary criticised the British government’s fawning throughout the visit.

In Asia during the year, Xi visited Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore. In Islamabad, he promised US$46 billion in investment, much of which is earmarked for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – part of Xi’s signature “One Belt, One Road” Eurasian infrastructure initiative. In Hanoi and Manilla, Xi tried to put the best face on two of China’s most strained regional relationships. In Singapore, he not only touted the strong bilateral ties, but also surprised the world with his historic meeting with Taiwan’s leader Ma Ying-jeou.

Earlier this month, Xi made his second trip to Africa since becoming China’s leader, stopping in Zimbabwe to meet pariah president Robert Mugabe, before proceeding to South Africa for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation where he pledged a whopping US$60 billion in development projects across the continent over the next three years.