Strategic autonomy of vital importance to European Union

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's weeklong working visit to Brussels, Berlin and Paris recently once again showed he is one of the world's most well-versed international relations managers with excellent diplomatic skills and deep understanding of global affairs.

While making comparisons is always a tough, and many a time unfair exercise, one is tempted to draw parallels between Wang and some of his outstanding predecessors in international diplomacy, such as Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand of France and Henry Kissinger of the United States.

He does what is expected from any capable foreign minister of any country: to protect, defend and promote his country's national interest in a resolute and purposeful but also polite and civilized manner, because the principled pursuit of national interest ultimately improves citizens' lives.