Gerhard Schröder attends global governance forum in China

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder attended a forum in Xiong’an, China on Thursday, appearing as an honoured guest at its opening.

He entered the hall alongside Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and sat in the front row, but did not give a speech.

The event focused on global governance and was linked to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s initiative for changing how international affairs are managed.

Xi was not there and sent a greeting message.

Schröder’s appearance came weeks after he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, prompting renewed calls from politicians in Schröder’s Social Democratic Party to expel him.

The visits have revived scrutiny of Schröder’s ties to Putin, whom he has remained close to and whose birthday he reportedly marked in Moscow.

It was not known whom Schröder planned to meet in China next.