Chinese FM to meet press at National People’s Congress – Photo: Getty Images

China’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Qin Gang is due to hold a press conference at the National People’s Congress (NPC) today.

After making his first appearance as new foreign minister at last weekend’s NPC, Qin is due to outline China’s foreign policy agenda going forward. Qin replaced Wang Yi and most recently was China’s ambassador to the U.S. Meanwhile, Wang was promoted to the politburo and will continue to shape foreign policy as the director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.

Qin takes over at a particularly difficult time. Tensions with many major economies, including the U.S., India and Japan, are at their highest in decades and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. China’s increasingly assertive stance over Taiwan, and allegations by Washington that Beijing is considering supplying Russia with arms, will likely overshadow any attempts by Qin to portray China as a peaceful giant on the world stage.

Qin will likely behave similarly to his predecessor. As ambassador to Washington, Qin became known for his hawkish defense of Chinese domestic and foreign policy, including his claim that China had the better democratic model. Following his appointment, Qin already completed a visit to several African nations in January.