According to the 2019 Global Diplomacy Index, released by the Lowy Institute in Australia on Wednesday, China has 276 embassies, consulates and other missions globally, surpassing the US with 273 missions. France was third with 267.<\/p>\n
Bonnie Bley, the index report\u2019s lead researcher, said that while a country\u2019s total did not equate to diplomatic influence, \u201cdiplomatic infrastructure is still important\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina\u2019s newly held lead serves as a telling metric of national ambition and international priorities,\u201d Bley said.<\/p>\n
Beijing has 169 embassies or high commissions, while Washington has 168. However, China had 96 consulates while the US had 88, suggesting that Beijing\u2019s diplomatic expansion was closely linked to its economic interests, she said.<\/p>\n
Renmin University international relations professor Shi Yinhong said China had close and growing trade and investment ties with many developing countries, especially those taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, increasing the need for consulates.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cOne of the consulates\u2019 main goals is to serve the citizens and businesses located in those countries,\u201d Shi said.<\/p>\n
Beijing has also expanded its reach at Taipei\u2019s expense. Since 2016, when the index was first published, Taiwan\u2019s total number of embassies fell from 22 to 15, the biggest drop among the 61 places ranked.<\/p>\n
China opened five new embassies \u2013 in El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Gambia, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe and the Dominican Republic \u2013 countries that severed official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This directly contributed to China\u2019s lead over the US, the report said.<\/p>\n
Beijing\u2019s diplomatic expansion also comes as the US, under the administration of President Donald Trump, is taking an \u201cAmerica first\u201d approach to foreign policy.<\/p>\n
Trump has sought to cut funding to the US State Department and the White House has not appointed US ambassadors for at least 17 countries, including Brazil and Egypt, according to the American Foreign Service Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though the US has a strong diplomatic base but it is not so proactive any more. It has fewer consulates and fewer foreign service workers,\u201d Shi said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the long term, China is in a more advantageous position.\u201d<\/p>\n
But a country\u2019s diplomatic ability and influence did not rest on the number of foreign service postings and the US still held more international diplomatic sway than China, he added.<\/p>\n
Some of China\u2019s biggest diplomatic missions include Islamabad in Pakistan, Washington and London.<\/p>\n
\n
From: TRT, SCMP<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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