[Epoch Times, October 11, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Wang Xiang comprehensive report) The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday (October 11) that Vice President Wang Qishan will visit from Wednesday to Thursday (12 to 13). Kazakhstan. As the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is about to be held, whether Wang Qishan will attend the meeting has attracted attention.
Wang Qishan “will lead a delegation to Kazakhstan to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Astana,” Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesman, said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. CICA, referred to as the CICA Summit) Sixth Summit”.
The CCP will hold a political meeting every five years at the 20th National Congress, where Xi Jinping is expected to win a third term as the top party leader and announce a new leadership lineup.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday that all overseas arrivals in China will be subject to a “7+3” quarantine plan, first in a quarantine center for a week and then quarantined at home for three days. If Wang Qishan follows the quarantine plan, the two-day foreign trip could mean he may miss the party congress that starts on Sunday (16th).
But the outside world has no way of knowing whether the rules apply to senior Chinese leaders who go abroad for diplomatic visits.
All senior Communist Party officials who have traveled abroad in recent months, including Xi Jinping and Li Zhanshu, the chairman of the National People’s Congress, did not appear publicly until at least 10 days after returning to China, during which time they did not attend official events. But whether they are following epidemic prevention rules is unknown.
The report also said that the Chinese authorities have not announced how long the 20th Congress will last, but past meetings have lasted for a week – which means the 20th Congress may end on October 22, the first time since Wang Qishan returned from Kazakhstan. 9 days.
Wang Qishan is on the list of delegates to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and more than 2,000 people will attend this meeting. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2017. Wang Qishan, who has served as vice-president since 2018, has represented the Chinese president at diplomatic ceremonies outside China, including Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, despite being well past the party’s unofficial retirement age of 68. .
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi believes that the high-level isolation policy of the CCP is not transparent. Judging from past reports, the isolation time after high-level foreign visits is not fixed. At the last moment before the 20th National Congress, the Hong Kong media used this issue to report on Wang Qishan, and came to the conclusion that he may be absent from the 20th National Congress. There may be other reasons behind it.
Kazakhstan confirms: Wang Qishan, Putin will attend CICA summit
The sixth CICA Summit will be held in Kazakhstan. In September, the first stop of Xi Jinping’s foreign visit was Kazakhstan, his first trip abroad since the pandemic began two years ago.
According to Aibek Smadiyarov, a spokesman for the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry, the summit will be attended by 50 delegations, including 27 member states, as well as observer countries, observer organizations and partner organizations.
There will be 11 presidents, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi President Barham Salih, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will participate as an observer.
The Kazakh foreign ministry confirmed that vice-chairmen of China and Vietnam will also attend the summit.
In addition, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Israel and South Korea will all be represented, and participants are expected to discuss topics such as regional security, economic and technical cooperation.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#