Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s tour of Europe, the World Bank chief’s resignation, and the sentencing of a Russian journalist.
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China’s Top Diplomat Tours Europe
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, began his weeklong tour through Europe in Paris, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office said the two discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, and that they had “the same objective of contributing to peace in line with international law.” On Thursday, Wang, who also met with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, is set to join a session of the Chinese-French strategic dialogue. Wang defended what he claimed was China’s impartiality on Russia’s war in Ukraine in December.
Wang is also expected to travel to Italy, Hungary, Russia, and Germany.
His visit through Europe comes at a time of tension between the United States and China. The United States recently shot down what it alleged was a Chinese spy balloon, which China denied. Beijing, in turn, alleged that Washington has also sent several spy balloons to China.
Wang has said the point of his trip was to “promote new developments in bilateral relations, enhance strategic mutual trust between China and Europe, and exchange views on major international issues.”
What We’re Following Today
World Bank director resigns. David R. Malpass, who was selected as World Bank director in April 2019, has resigned—effective at the end of the fiscal year, almost a year early. Malpass has said that he will be pursuing new opportunities.
In his letter to World Bank colleagues, a copy of which was obtained by Foreign Policy, Malpass wrote, “It has been an enormous honor and privilege to serve alongside so many talented and exceptional people as President of the world’s leading development institution. Together over the last four years, we have worked hard to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and improve living standards for people in developing countries.”
Russian journalist imprisoned. Russian journalist Maria Ponоmarenko was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for accusing Russian forces of bombing a theater in Mariupol last April. Women and children were sheltering in the theater. State prosecutors asked for a nine-year sentence. She has also been banned from working as a journalist for five years.
“Patriotism is love for the motherland, and love for one’s motherland should not be expressed by encouraging crime,” Ponоmarenko said before her sentencing, according to RusNews, where she worked. “Attacking your neighbor is a crime.”
“If it is a war—then call it a war,” she said in the courtroom. “This is a state crime against the army—it is like spitting on the graves of veterans.”
Machu Picchu reopens. After three weeks of being closed due to protests, Peru’s famed Inca citadel Machu Picchu, reopened as protests have shifted to the capital, Lima, and other southern regions. Peruvian officials announced they would ensure the monument—and the transit routes leading to and out of it—were safe. Limited train services to the station near Machu Picchu resumed last week (they were suspended earlier because protesters placed boulders on the railway line).
Sixty people have been killed in protests so far, which began in December after former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve Congress before it could impeach him. His successor, Dina Boluarte, originally said she would serve out the remainder of the term, leaving in 2026, but has since said elections should be brought forward.
Keep an Eye On
Too warm to open world’s largest outdoor skating rink. Mild temperatures in Ottawa, Canada may prohibit the opening of Rideau Canal Skateway, the largest outdoor rink in the world. It would be the first time in five decades that the rink, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has stayed closed all winter. Ottawa is in its third-warmest winter in recorded history, and temperatures are expected to climb still higher, meaning that there isn’t enough solid ice to safely open the rink.
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said this was another example of the reality of Canada’s changing climate. The city will take an economic hit as well, as people come in the winter specifically to skate on the rink, and studies are underway to try to assess how the skateway might be kept open.
At least 73 migrants missing after boat from Libya sinks. According to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), “At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday (Tuesday).” The boat was heading to Europe. The IOM said 11 bodies had been retrieved so far. The central Mediterranean is the deadliest migratory sea crossing; 130 people have died there so far this year.
Wednesday’s Most Read
•What Putin Got Right by Stephen M. Walt
•Washington’s China Hawks Take Flight by Robbie Gramer and Christina Lu
•NATO Chiefs Try to Jump-Start the Aid Ukraine Really Needs by Robbie Gramer
Odds and Ends
Egged on. A British man has been convicted of stealing nearly 200,000 chocolate eggs. The tens of thousands of Cadbury Creme Eggs were worth roughly $48,000. British police dubbed it an “eggs-travagant theft.” The man, 32, pleaded guilty. The chocolate eggs were recovered after highway police stopped him. “This clearly wasn’t spur-of-the-moment offending, if I can put it like that, because he had taken with him a tractor unit and he had to know that the load was there in the first place.”