Year in Review: China Recalibrates Diplomacy After Leadership Reshuffle

All eyes were on China in 2022 as it went through a major political reshuffle during the 20th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party. It also marked the country’s return to the world stage as President Xi Jinping ventured out of the country for the first time in almost three years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The year coincided with substantial external and internal challenges as the country entered a diplomatic vortex in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has lasted throughout the year, and continued to face technology sanctions and heightened pressure on the Taiwan issue from the U.S., all while coping with economic slowdown and public anger stemming from Covid controls.