China has officially designated Vice President Han Zheng to represent the nation at the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly. The decision was made public amidst speculation about the attendance of Chinese leaders at the prominent global event.

China has chosen to send Vice President Han Zheng to the U.N. General Assembly, which typically gathers leaders and senior diplomats from around the world to discuss important global issues. The decision suggests that China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, will not attend the event.

Xi Jinping, President of China, has not attended the U.N. session for several years, opting for video conferences during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the China Communist Party announced further details or reasons regarding the attendance of Chinese leaders.

They were both members of the Politburo Standing Committee, a powerful leadership body within the party, and then retired from those positions only to return as Vice President of China. High-ranking positions continued within the party and the Chinese government. This is not uncommon in Chinese politics where retired leaders can still play roles behind the scenes.

Xi not attending the Group of G20 Summit in India earlier has been highlighted as a potential contrast between the absence of Beijing’s top leaders at that international event and the return of individuals like Han and Wang Qishan to key positions in the Chinese government. The dynamic political landscape in China, with retired leaders maintaining influence and sometimes returning to prominent roles in the government.

The British government announced Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans and the attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the U.N. session in August 2023.

-Uttara Singh Chauhan