Xi Jinping seeks to improve China’s ties with record number of countries to counter US

Chinese President Xi Jinping strengthened diplomatic ties with a record number of countries last year as part of his efforts to mobilise the Global South in reshaping the US-led world order. Beijing upgraded the characterisation of its relations with 17 countries and territories, primarily from the developing world, as revealed by a Bloomberg analysis of statements from the foreign ministry. This pace of diplomatic elevation is unprecedented during Xi’s first decade in office. In contrast to Washington’s strategy of building alliances with predominantly affluent allies, Beijing is pursuing a strategy of cultivating ties with developing nations, which constitute the majority of the world’s population, leveraging aid, trade, and investments. The geopolitical implications of this approach were evident this week with the first state visit to China by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, deviating from the practices of previous Maldivian leaders and representing a diplomatic win for Xi over regional rival India. “With the deepening of its strategic competition with the US, China is increasingly eager to solidify its partnership base with more countries,” Yun Sun, a director of the China Program at Stimson Center told Bloomberg.

Last year, in a poll by the Pew Research Center, 83% of respondents in the United States held an unfavourable opinion of China. Asked to name the country that posed the greatest threat to the United States, Americans perceived China as both an economic and national security threat, the U.S. think tank said.

Repairing its image is paramount to China, especially in the United States. Washington has levied additional tariffs on Chinese goods and imposed curbs on exports of certain technologies, such as advanced chips, to China.