Since declaring a decisive victory over the Covid pandemic in February, Chinese President Xi Jinping has engaged in an active diplomacy drive, visiting Putin in Moscow as well as hosting various dignitaries in China.

Part of this outreach has been to sign needed trade agreements and to secure reliable access to energy, food, and raw materials.

Another objective of Xi’s diplomacy has been to challenge the US-led global order and push back against attempts to isolate it on the global stage.

Xi is working to strengthen China against an increasingly united West.