Tourists visit the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) 

China's diplomatic engagements in May aimed at managing differences, navigating competition, and expanding cooperation with major countries have brought greater certainty to an increasingly turbulent world. 

Beijing's diplomatic calendar in May featured a flurry of high-level engagement with major countries.

In the Chinese capital, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted his U.S. and Russian counterparts, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, in a week's time, placing China at the center of discussions over how the world's major countries manage differences, navigate competition and expand cooperation.

The almost back-to-back summits came amid major changes unseen in a century and an ever-evolving international landscape. At a moment when the world stands at yet another critical crossroads, the call for peace and development has grown louder, and the demand for stability and direction more urgent.

Over the past six months, Xi has maintained close communication with U.S. and Russian leaders and hosted many other foreign leaders in Beijing. Taken together, these engagements, which reflect China's broader diplomatic effort to keep major-country relations steady, are injecting greater certainty into a turbulent world.

People visit the 10th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 17, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) 

FINDING THE RIGHT PATH 

During their summit, Xi and Trump have agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, providing strategic guidance for the world's most important and complex bilateral relationship over the next three years and beyond.

In Beijing, the two presidents spent nearly nine hours together across talks, a banquet, a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a private meeting at the Zhongnanhai compound.

Xi said that looking back at the course of China-U.S. relations, whether or not the two countries could have mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation is the key to whether the relationship can advance steadily. For his part, Trump also voiced willingness to work with Xi to strengthen communication, expand cooperation, properly manage differences and open a "fantastic future together."

Stable relations among major countries require mutual trust, regular dialogue and the sustained momentum of cooperation. In this regard, China-Russia ties offer a clear example of this approach.

Putin's latest visit occurs in a special year, marking the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Putin quoted the Chinese proverb -- "One day apart feels like three autumns" -- to convey the closeness of his friendship with Xi. The Russian leader has made 25 visits to China, and the two leaders have met more than 40 times on bilateral and multilateral occasions since 2013.

Ahead of his visit, Putin delivered a video address, hailing Russia-China ties as having reached a "truly unprecedented level," crediting his close exchanges with Xi for enabling both nations to "chart the boldest plans for the future and bring them to life."

Over the years, China and Russia have made important contributions to upholding international fairness and justice and promoting the building of a new type of international relations, becoming a key constant amidst profound global changes unseen in a century, Xi said when he joined Putin to meet the press in Beijing.

In recent months, China has also intensified engagement with Europe, welcoming a steady stream of leaders from France, Ireland, Finland, Britain, Germany and Spain.

On China-EU relations, Xi has said that cooperation outweighs competition and consensus surpasses differences, expressing the hope that the European side can work with China toward the same direction, adhere to the positioning of strategic partners, and uphold openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation.

STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC LINKS 

Xi has said that China has firm resolve in advancing Chinese modernization and the broad-mindedness to share development opportunities with the world through high-standard opening up, adding that China will inject confidence and momentum into global economic growth through its own development.

During his talks with Trump, Xi said China-U.S. economic ties are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. China and the United States have more common interests than differences, he noted.

The two presidents had in-depth discussions on China-U.S. economic and trade ties, pointing the direction and providing safeguards for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Business leaders traveling with Trump underscored the enduring appeal of the Chinese market. Trump told Xi that the world's top companies all want to come to China. Senior executives from companies including Qualcomm and Citigroup, who accompanied Trump on the visit, expressed strong interest in expanding cooperation with China, citing China's economic vitality and opportunities in its market.

Deepening cooperation was also a central theme of the China-Russia summit. Xi said China and Russia should deepen the alignment between China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) and Russia's development strategy through 2030, and enhance and upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields.

During his meeting with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in February, Xi said the two countries should be reliable partners that support each other, innovative partners that champion openness and win-win results, and partners that understand each other and share close bonds through cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

When meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Xi expressed the hope that the two countries can translate the promising potential of cooperation into remarkable accomplishments.

Putin arrived with a large delegation of officials and business executives, and the two sides signed dozens of bilateral agreements. China-Russia cooperation is expanding to deeper and higher levels, ranging from traditional areas such as trade and energy to emerging fields like the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

It is the people of related countries who feel the benefits of cooperation most directly and profoundly. More than 7,000 Chinese-funded companies operate in the United States, while about 80,000 U.S. companies have invested in China; China-Russia trade has exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years; and China-Europe cooperation now spans advanced manufacturing, green development, technology and consumer markets, giving both sides more channels to connect their industries and people.

Faced with a complex international environment, China has maintained a long-term outlook, kept its focus on shared interests, and worked to broaden channels for open and mutually beneficial cooperation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (at the podium and on the screens) delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Rui) 

SHOULDERING GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES 

Beijing has repeatedly stressed that major countries of the world bear special responsibilities for global peace, security and development.

Amid the protracted Ukraine crisis and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Xi has engaged in extensive exchanges with visiting leaders on international and regional issues. He reiterated China's position that the use of force cannot solve problems, and dialogue is the only right choice.

During the China-U.S. summit, the two sides agreed to support each other in hosting the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the G20 Summit. As analysts have pointed out, the agreement could help support economic recovery in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, improve global economic governance, and show that China and the United States have both the consensus and the capacity to work together on major issues.

They said the international community expects the two countries to strengthen cooperation on climate change, public health, science and technology governance, helping build confidence in collective action.

During Putin's visit, Xi said China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries, should drive respective development and revitalization through comprehensive strategic coordination of even higher quality, and work to make the global governance system more just and equitable. China and Russia issued a joint statement on advocating a multipolar world and a new type of international relations.

Warwick Powell, an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said China has offered a new way to think about common challenges and a shared future -- one rooted in the idea that countries are increasingly interdependent.

A recent opinion piece by the South Asia Journal has also argued that the rising century demands a more inclusive architecture.

Beijing speaks not of domination, but of a shared future for humanity, it added.