To confront the US, Xi Jinping strengthens China's relations with a record number of nations

To confront the US, Xi Jinping strengthens China's relations with a record number of nations

To confront the US, Xi Jinping strengthens China's relations with a record number of nations

This week's first state visit to China by Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu, which broke with previous Maldivian presidents' customs and gave Xi the upper hand over regional competitor India, showcases the geopolitical advantages.

Beijing's actions are intended to gain more allies in a globe that is becoming more divided.

In an effort to bring the Global South together and disrupt the US-led international order, Chinese President Xi Jinping strengthened his diplomatic connections with a record number of nations last year.

In comments released by the Foreign Ministry last year, Beijing listed relations with 17 nations and areas, most of which were in the developing world, according to a Bloomberg review of those declarations. It's a speed not witnessed in the first ten years of Xi's presidency. On Wednesday, it included the Maldives on the list.

Beijing is pursuing poor nations, which account for the bulk of the world's population, via assistance, trade, and investment, while Washington has developed a diplomatic policy centered largely on coalitions of affluent friends. This week's first state visit to China by Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu, which broke with previous Maldivian presidents' customs and gave Xi the upper hand over regional competitor India, showcases the geopolitical advantages.

According to Yun Sun, director of the Stimson Center's China program, China is keen to expand the scope of its partnerships as its strategic rivalry with the US grows. This is particularly true for nations that share China's worldview or are economically reliant on it.

Xi promised to enhance ties between China and the Maldives when he visited Muizzu on Wednesday. The leaders strengthened their alliance and joined the ranks of nations that have strengthened their connections with Beijing in the last year, such as the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Zambia in Africa, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Colombia in Latin America, and Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Additionally, China strengthened its relations with Nicaragua and the Solomon Islands, two nations that have broken off diplomatic ties with Taiwan and pledged their loyalty to Beijing.

After the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Beijing also increased its involvement in the country by establishing official diplomatic relations with the Taliban administration and forging relationships with former militants who had resisted the US occupation for twenty years.

"A lot of these nations are in competitive markets with the United States and Western nations," co-founder of the China-Global South Project Eric Olander said. The Maldives and other nations that lean Chinese would be "rewarded with an upgrade of diplomatic ties to close in on China's universe," he added.

Beijing refers to its bilateral ties using many titles. Because of this, Pakistan, Belarus, and Venezuela refer to their alliance as a "strategic partnership for all seasons" as it endures despite a variety of challenges. The partnership is referred to as a "new type of major power relationship" for the US.

The official elevation of ties to a "all-round high-quality and forward-looking partnership" in April was a sign of Singapore's willingness to working with the UK on projects including green development and the digital economy.

China refers to a lot of its new alliances as "strategic". This suggests that the two sides may collaborate on international and regional matters in addition to their bilateral interactions and collaboration, according to the China Institute of International Studies, a think tank connected to the Foreign Ministry.

Xi's approach to managing diplomatic ties has evolved. He reduced his foreign travel last year, spending only 12 days visiting four locations outside of China—the fewest days he has taken in a year without a pandemic since taking office.

Xi invited dignitaries from other countries to see him instead. According to estimates by Bloomberg, Xi welcomed roughly 70 leaders from the Global South last year—the highest since 2019—for two summits with mostly Central Asian nations to commemorate his important Belt and Road Initiative, which is creating infrastructure. using a single platform.

While Xi is anticipated to put priority to internal matters this year due to China's economic slump, rumors of "proactive diplomacy" in 2023 suggest Xi is attempting to create a firmer basis for international relations, according to Sun.

At a rare Communist Party conference late last month, senior Chinese officials lauded China's "increased international influence, stronger ability to drive new efforts and greater moral appeal". In addition, he pledged to oppose "power politics and all acts of bullying" and to strengthen China's influence on world affairs.

Upgrading relations, according to Olander, is "more about optics therefore politics rather than substance," and the West does not place as much weight on it.

Based on the most recent full-year statistics available from the International Monetary Fund, estimates show that just 3.1% of all commerce was with 17 nations and regions. Just Singapore contributes 1.6%.

The goal of Beijing's actions, according to Wang Yiwei, head of Renmin University's Center for European Studies, is to gain more allies in a world that is becoming more divided.

He said, "China is securing raw materials to provide chains for the decades to come by expanding ties with these countries."