Xiplomacy: How to read China's diplomatic surge in 2026?

BEIJING -- Since the start of 2026, foreign leaders from across Asia, the Americas and Europe have visited China in quick succession.

As the US business magazine Forbes recently noted, Beijing was rolling out the red carpet almost daily for foreign dignitaries seeking a less chaotic economic environment.

This wave of high-level engagements has conveyed a clear message: Amid a turbulent and shifting global landscape, China is widely viewed as a source of stability, prompting countries to look eastward for collaboration and growth opportunities.

ANCHOR OF GLOBAL STABILITY

On "Lichun," the Beginning of Spring and the first of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump.

The back-to-back conversations with the heads of state of two of the world's major countries were "an extraordinary example" of China's diplomacy, according to the South China Morning Post.

Xi has in the past repeatedly underscored that "major countries should behave in a manner befitting their status and act with broad-mindedness and a sense of responsibility."

It has become a tradition in recent years for the Chinese and Russian presidents to talk to each other ahead of the Spring Festival. During Wednesday's video meeting, Xi expressed his readiness to work with Putin to chart a new blueprint for bilateral ties.

Xi also called on China and Russia to work together to maintain global strategic stability as the international situation has become increasingly turbulent since the beginning of the year.

As responsible major countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have the obligation to encourage the international community to uphold fairness and justice, safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, and defend the UN-centered international system and the basic norms of international law, he added.

China has emerged as a global model of stability, predictability and rationality, the Moscow-based daily Moskovsky Komsomolets recently wrote.

How the relationship between the world's top two economies fares in the new year matters greatly. During his first phone talks with Trump this year, Xi said he hopes to work with Trump in the new year to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations steadily forward through wind and storms, and accomplish more big things and good things.

Xi also cited a classical Chinese saying: "It is always right to do a good thing, however small, and always wrong to do a bad thing, however small." The maxim underscores the importance of consistent goodwill in small acts in building up trust between the two major countries.

He also told Trump that China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated.

Trump described the call with Xi on social media as "long and thorough," calling it "very positive."

LOOKING EASTWARD

When receiving 18 newly appointed ambassadors to China last month in Beijing, Xi invoked the Chinese parable of the "blind men and the elephant" to encourage the new foreign envoys to travel widely across the country and gain a full and in-depth understanding of the real and multifaceted China.

The parable was cited again by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit to China last month. Starmer's visit was the first by a British prime minister in eight years, underscoring the need for broader, deeper engagement after a prolonged lull in high-level exchanges between Beijing and London.

When meeting with Starmer at the Great Hall of the People, Xi emphasized the need to see history from a broader perspective, calling on the two countries to open up new vistas for China-Britain relations and cooperation to better benefit both the two peoples and the world at large.

In Western narratives, China is sometimes portrayed as a "threat." Yet firsthand engagement and on-the-ground observation enables foreign leaders to gain a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the country, informing their China policies.

Mark Logan, a former British Member of Parliament who has worked in China for many years, said in Western societies, many of China's positive cultural and social characteristics have yet to be fully recognized.

Since December 2025, a string of foreign leaders have visited China, including President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Yamandu Orsi, French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, as well as the prime ministers of Britain, Canada, Finland and Ireland.

Their itinerary included visits to Beijing's Forbidden City and the Great Wall to experience traditional Chinese culture, as well as a stop in Shanghai, the country's financial hub.

As he strolled through the Forbidden City after meeting Xi, Starmer said strengthening ties with China is "in the national interest" because of the huge opportunities provided by the world's second-largest economy. "That's why we've got such a big business delegation."

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also made a special trip to the Forbidden City during his recent China trip. "This 600-year-old historical place sits right in the middle of this gigantic city filled with skyscrapers. It was stunning even before arriving," he said.

"You don't understand China unless you go to China," said Jack Perry, chairman of the 48 Group. "So I would say: go to China, embrace China and move forward."

EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES OF THE FUTURE

This year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). When engaging with global leaders, Xi would often brief them on China's future development plans, saying that China's high-quality development and high-level opening up will continue to provide new opportunities and expand new space for countries around the world.

The visits to China have yielded concrete outcomes. During Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit, the two countries signed an economic and trade cooperation roadmap, a major achievement under the framework of the China-Canada new strategic partnership.

Moreover, Canada will allow an annual quota of 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market at the most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, exempting them from the 100-percent surtax imposed in 2024.

The two sides also agreed to increase direct flights and improve the business environment in both countries.

Starmer's trip to China resulted in the signing of four economic and trade cooperation documents and a reduction in tariffs on British whisky imports from 10 percent to 5 percent.

Technology and the environment were also on the agenda during the visits. Attending a business forum in Beijing in January, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said future-oriented technologies, particularly AI, could elevate China-South Korea cooperation to a new level, The Korea Times reported.

Lee later visited Shanghai to attend a venture startup summit, where he shook hands with a Chinese humanoid robot. "If (South) Korea's venture startup ecosystem is organically connected with China's massive innovative startup environment, both countries will experience greater growth," Lee said, quoted by Korea JoongAng Daily.

Finnish Prime Minister Orpo saw broad prospects for the two countries to cooperate on clean energy and the green transition, which could help tackle climate change.

"This 'future-oriented' perspective is very important," he said.