Wang Qishan's intention to attend the Queen's funeral in China is very clear

The Queen's funeral was held on September 19, and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan went to the UK to attend the funeral.

After experiencing the Oolong incident in which the Chinese delegation was denied entry to the Capitol, the British media reported that Wang Qishan and his party went to the Capitol to pay homage to the Queen's coffin on the 18th, and he will attend the Queen's funeral on the 19th.

Although the British official invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, the standard of Wang Qishan's attendance was not low.

For years, China's top leader has never travelled abroad to attend anyone's funeral.

It is a customary arrangement for the vice-president or vice-premier to attend the funeral on his behalf.

In 2013, for example, Li Yuanchao, then vice-president of China, traveled to South Africa as Xi Jinping's special representative to attend the funeral of former President Nelson Mandela.

In 2015, Li Yuanchao went to Singapore as the special representative of Xi Jinping to attend the funeral of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away in 2017, and the then Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli led a delegation to attend the funeral.

After the death of the Queen of England, Wang Qishan went to the UK to attend the funeral, which shows that China treats all diplomatic etiquette equally.

As we all know, China-UK relations have fallen to a freezing point in recent years.

In particular, since 2018, the United Kingdom has been criticizing the CCP on the Hong Kong issue, and has repeatedly taken a stand on the issue of Huawei’s market access. There have also been farces in which Chinese companies have acquired British chip factories and participated in the construction of nuclear power plants.

After the Biden administration came to power, the UK, as a member of the Five Eyes alliance and a member of the US-UK-Australia tripartite alliance, actively cooperated with the US in revitalizing the Western Center and suppressing China.

Not long ago, in the British Conservative Party leadership election, the candidate even included the competition to be tough on China into the competition agenda.

Elizabeth Truss, who was successfully elected leader of the Conservative Party and became the new Prime Minister, took the lead in anti-China.

Before taking office, Zhuo Huisi exaggerated China's "threats and challenges", and frequently spoke out on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

It is against this background that China can still send high-profile officials like Wang Qishan to the UK, revealing China's goodwill from one side.

China does not want to stand on the opposite side of the entire Western world.

In this funeral diplomacy, attended by nearly 500 dignitaries from around the world, China does not want to leave the world the impression that it is at odds with Britain.

The countries the UK did not invite to the Queen's funeral were Russia, Belarus and Myanmar, which are clearly opposed to the West.

Since the UK has issued an invitation to China, it means that China has not been included in the camp of confrontational countries like Russia for the time being.

China naturally treats each other with courtesy, and there is no need to deliberately highlight Sino-British tensions.

Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, attended the China-US Climate-Smart Agriculture Roundtable in Missouri, the United States on September 16, 2022, and inspected local farms.

Qin Gang was a guest at the home of the farmer, Kimberly, and test-drive a tractor as a "one-day farmer".

(Source: Official website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States)

Before Wang Qishan went to the United Kingdom, in the United States on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, attended the China-US Climate Smart Agriculture Roundtable in Missouri, the United States on September 6, and inspected local farms.

Qin Gang was a guest at the home of the farmer, Kimberly, and test-drive a tractor as a "one-day farmer".

Qin Gang bluntly said that Sino-US agricultural cooperation can go beyond the simple "you buy and I sell".

Before that, Qin Gang also visited St. Louis on the shore of the Mississippi River in Missouri, to attend the 43rd anniversary of the St. Louis-Nanjing sister city and kick off the home game of the local baseball team Cardinals.

When Qin Gang put on the No. 43 home jersey, which symbolizes the 43rd anniversary of the St. Louis-Nanjing sister city, and stepped into the Cardinals home court amid the introduction of the host and the cheers of the audience, people could not feel the tension between China and the United States.

Qin Gang frequently participated in friendly exchange activities in the United States, doing his best to pave the way for Sino-US cooperation.

From the high-profile treatment of the Queen's funeral to Qin Gang's friendly appearance in the United States, China is showing itself as a friendly partner who can cooperate.

Although a series of events such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and Pelosi's visit to the United States have intensified the global Cold War atmosphere.

But China will not automatically fall into Thucydides' trap.

Also before Wang Qishan went to the UK, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose the SCO Leaders' Summit for his first overseas visit in more than two years. The biggest highlight of the SCO is to start the process of accepting Iran as a full member and to absorb Saudi Arabia. , Egypt and Qatar are dialogue partners.

As a result, the SCO began to expand its influence to the Middle East.

Many people believe that the accelerated expansion of the SCO is a response to the formation of an anti-China alliance by the United States.

One side is preparation for struggle, and the other side is a declaration of goodwill. The competition between great powers has always been confusing and confusing. If you believe too much in confrontation, you will miss opportunities for development and cooperation, while blindly believing in goodwill will be revealed from time to time by the other side Malicious slap in the face.

Soldiers, tricksters, may be able to better explain China's current diplomatic strategy.

The Queen's Death｜Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Vice Chairman Wang Qishan will attend the funeral as the special representative of Xi Jinping The Queen's State Funeral｜Wang Qishan goes to Westminster Palace to pay tribute to the Queen's coffin Pope II