PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – The Chinese government’s top diplomat Wang Yi walked out before the start of a gala dinner of foreign ministers at a meeting in Cambodia on Thursday and was seen leaving the venue in a vehicle, witnesses said.
Wang Yi waved to media as he entered a holding room for the dinner then walked out of the venue, without giving a reason, according to Reuters journalists. Two witnesses working at the venue told Reuters Wang Yi was seen leaving in a vehicle.
The dinner was attended by more than a dozen foreign ministers including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan’s Yoshimasa Hayashi, and senior diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Jiraporn Kuhakan; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Angus MacSwan)