China’s Xi Jinping rolls out the big guns for his European ‘belt and road’ show
- President’s team selection suggests he plans to put his infrastructure development programme front and centre during six-day trip to Italy, Monaco and France
- Top diplomats will look to secure Rome’s support for plan, but things may not go so smoothly in Paris
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decision to travel with a top team of officials with direct responsibility for developing and promoting his ambitious “Belt and Road Initiative” has left little doubt as to his ambitions for his three-nation European tour that got under way in Rome on Thursday.
In a break from diplomatic practice, China’s foreign ministry did not release an itinerary for Xi’s six-day tour – which will also include stops in Monaco and France – but Xinhua did publish details of his elite team of travelling companions.
Besides his wife Peng Liyuan, the president’s entourage includes top diplomats Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi, his chief of staff Ding Xuanxiang and the head of China’s economic planning agency He Lifeng, all of whom play key roles in the belt and road plan.
Regarded as one of Xi’s closest allies, He took over as chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission in 2017. The agency has huge influence on Chinese policy issues – from mapping out the country’s economic direction to acting as the key promoter of the belt and road plan.
