The challenges facing diplomats, mostly from Western nations, come as Chinese President Xi Jinping continues to wage his national security campaign.
Despondent young worshippers crowd temples in China on weekends, as they pray to find jobs in an economy slowly clawing its way back from the coronavirus pandemic.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said Europe must resist reducing ties with China and reject what some have cast as an "inescapable spiral" of tension between China and the West.
Leadership watchers say Li Qiang's closeness to Xi is both a strength and a vulnerability: While he has Xi's trust, he is beholden to his longtime patron.
