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Cardinal Pietro Paralin, Vatican Secretary of State, said that the Vatican hopes to establish a permanent office in China. This would be a major upgrade in the relationship between the Vatican and China.

According to Reuters, Parolin attended a meeting of the Chinese Catholic Church hosted by the Vatican on Tuesday (May 21, 2024) and delivered a speech, saying: "For a long time, we have been hoping to have a stable presence in China." Parolin Lin said the Vatican could consider developing new diplomatic options for this purpose. This meeting provided a rare platform for high-level talks between the two sides. If the Vatican sets up a permanent office in China, it will be a major upgrade in the relationship between the Vatican and China.

China and the Vatican had differences over the appointment of bishops in Chinese dioceses. The two sides signed an agreement in 2018. Beijing has the right to appoint bishops on its own after consultation with the Vatican in advance, but these appointments must be approved by the pope. However, the Bishop of Shanghai Diocese Shen Bin appointed by China last year was appointed without consultation with the Vatican and was accused by the Holy See of violating the 2018 bilateral agreement.

Nonetheless, the Vatican issued a statement in July last year saying that Pope Francis had approved China's appointment of Shen Bin as bishop, thereby resolving the dispute between the two parties.

In a video address to the conference on Tuesday, Francis said the Catholic Church had made progress "through unforeseen paths and even through periods of patience and testing" in China and elsewhere.