Photo: EPA
China is increasingly presenting itself as a reliable pillar on the international stage, despite pursuing controversial policies, as global leaders continue to travel to meet President Xi Jinping.
According to the Financial Times, based on data from China’s foreign ministry and state media, 21 heads of state or government visited China in the first five months of 2026 alone.
Among the visitors were leaders from Turkmenistan, Uruguay, and Mozambique, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin also held separate summits with Xi this month. This week, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić are among those in Beijing.
Analysts say this “parade” of foreign leaders reinforces China’s efforts to portray itself as a stable and reliable force for multilateralism, even as Beijing continues an assertive trade policy, expands military activity in Asia, and maintains close ties with Russia and North Korea.
For domestic audiences, Xi’s diplomacy also carries historical symbolism, echoing pre-20th-century tributary systems, when smaller rulers would travel to the imperial court.
“There is a certain Chinese context in the way this is perceived domestically — as a return to a natural order in which others come to you,” said historian John Delury.
At the same time, Xi Jinping is traveling abroad significantly less than in the early years of his leadership. This year he has not left China at all, and in 2025 he made only six foreign trips.
Seven years after taking power in 2012, Xi had made around 100 overseas visits. Over the same period, US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump made about 90 trips, according to data compiled by the Asia Society.
Since China lifted strict COVID-era restrictions in 2022, Xi has made 26 foreign visits. His American counterparts, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, have made 56.
Neil Thomas, a research fellow at the Center for China Analysis, said Xi’s post-pandemic travel has focused mainly on neighboring countries and strategic partners in Central and Southeast Asia — regions often overlooked by the United States.
Hosting bilateral summits, rather than meeting leaders at multilateral forums, also allows Beijing to strengthen influence over less powerful partners and encourage a model of direct bilateral engagement.
“For China, the road to Europe runs through Berlin and Paris, not Brussels,” said analyst Damien Ma. “The same dynamic applies in Southeast Asia — they don’t really want to deal with ASEAN.”
“You don’t go to Beijing to lecture them and set the rules. You go to build good relations, announce business deals, and possibly signal something to a third party,” said Delury.
The benefits for visiting leaders have been mixed. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney received praise for calling for middle powers to cooperate amid global fragmentation and secured concessions from Xi, including tariff relief on canola seed exports. Critics, however, accused him of aligning too closely with Beijing despite ongoing tensions.
During Keir Starmer’s visit, China reduced tariffs on whisky and granted visa-free entry for British citizens, while AstraZeneca announced $15 billion in investments in China. Opposition figures in the UK argued that the results benefited China more than Britain, accusing Starmer of appeasement.
Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig called for coordinated Western policy toward China, warning against individual states making separate concessions that reinforce Xi’s narrative of China’s rise and America’s decline.
Analysts also noted that a recent Trump–Xi summit was ceremonial but light on substance, while Putin left Beijing without securing agreement on the long-delayed “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline.
China is now approaching a key domestic political milestone — the 2027 Communist Party congress, where Xi is expected to secure a fourth term. Analysts say he is increasingly focused on internal politics and consolidating power, especially after recent military purges.
“In essence, we are already in election season in China,” said Damien Ma. “For Xi Jinping, it is better to stay at home than to keep flying abroad.”
The New York Times has also reported that China sees America’s global position weakening under Trump and is using the moment to advance its influence, increasingly portraying itself not as a catching-up power but as one capable of surpassing the West. However, FT notes that China has not yet stepped fully into global leadership, seeking influence without taking on corresponding global responsibilities.
