China's representative to the EU, Fu Qiong, will leave Brussels for the United Nations after less than 18 months in a diplomatic reshuffle. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
58-year-old Fu Qiong will take up a new post as China's representative to the United Nations in New York. It is noted that during Fu's tenure as China's representative to the European Union, ties between the continent and China deteriorated.
Fu Qiong arrived in the Belgian capital in December 2022 as head of the Chinese mission to the EU. Relations between the parties at that time reached a significant level of tension, including due to Chinese President Xi Jinping's continued support for Russia after Russia's aggressive invasion of Ukraine.
There have also been allegations that China unfairly supports its key industries. The EU launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric cars, and later Beijing announced an anti-dumping investigation into brand sales in the bloc. According to Bloomberg, Fu Tsung said earlier this year that the investigation into electric vehicles was "unfair."
Let's wait and see, we hope that this will not happen
Fu left his post in Europe amidst a flurry of diplomatic activity in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with several key diplomatic posts still open. In this sense, the situation with former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was abruptly removed last summer, comes to mind, which in turn fueled investor fears about the increasingly opaque policies of the Chinese ruling party.
AddendumAddendum
China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has gained the support of the Global South, giving it influence on sensitive geopolitical issues such as the Russian war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The short duration of Fu's stay in Brussels is unusual, Bloomberg writes, noting that, for example, Sun Haiyan, the former Chinese ambassador to Singapore, was promoted to deputy head of the Communist Party's international department last summer after a little more than a year in the Southeast Asian country.
Recall
China and NATO held talks to discuss global security issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, maritime security, and issues of mutual concern.
The European Commission has allocated 500 million euros to increase ammunition production capacity to 2 million rounds per year by the end of 2025, making a total of 2 billion euros available to strengthen the EU defense industry through various programs.