Global Courant
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin a two-day visit to the southwestern city of Chengdu on Thursday, where he will open the World University Games and receive foreign leaders, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The timing of the trip suggests that a highly anticipated meeting of the country’s top leaders – the Politburo meeting in July – could take place in the first half of this week or next Monday.
Investors are watching closely whether the country’s senior leadership will live up to hopes of a major boost to the weakening economy.
In addition to seeing Mr Widodo from Indonesia, Mr Xi is also expected to meet heads of state from Mauritania, Burundi, Guyana, Georgia and Fiji, according to a statement on the Foreign Ministry website.
The Chinese leader resumed face-to-face diplomacy this year after the country abruptly lifted Covid-19 restrictions in late 2022, though he had only made one trip abroad so far – to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in March.
Xi has met more than 30 foreign guests, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and he is hosting a summit for Central Asian leaders this year, according to a count by the official Xinhua News Agency over the weekend.
The Communist Party’s Politburo meeting in July usually deals with economic policy.
Senior officials typically do not announce specific measures at these meetings, but the policy tone and language of the statement will provide important clues as to how Beijing will respond in the coming months. BLOOMBERG
