Courting China Again

The recent procession of Western leaders to Beijing has been striking. Last month Mark Carney went, the first Canadian leader to visit in almost a decade, and signed a strategic partnership with a country that has imprisoned Canadian nationals and was accused of meddling in Canada’s elections.

Keir Starmer followed, reversing years of frosty relations in the first visit by a British leader since 2018, and this week the German chancellor arrived — more than a million German jobs depend on exports to China. Not long ago, Western countries talked about diversifying away from China; now many are moving back.

Leaders are rebalancing not because China has become more reliable but because they are de‑risking from a more unreliable United States. China, meanwhile, has shown it can threaten to close markets or restrict sales of valuable exports like critical minerals, and it has continued economic and diplomatic support for Russia despite European objections.

China, Beijing

china, beijing, western leaders, mark carney, keir starmer, german chancellor, de-risking, united states, critical minerals, russia