In the first weeks of 2026 Beijing has opened its doors to a rapid succession of foreign leaders and senior officials, signalling a deliberate diplomatic cadence as the year begins. Visits by neighbouring states and outreach to Europe and North America have combined with traditional gestures — such as first-of-year ministerial trips to Africa — to create a concentrated burst of high-level engagement.
Beijing has put its neighbourhood at the centre of this push. Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, followed by South Korea’s president Lee Jae-myung, were among the earliest visitors, underscoring China’s emphasis on stabilising and deepening ties with proximate partners. Hosting a neighbouring foreign minister and a neighbouring head of state as the first high-level bilateral contacts of the year is a clear signal that regional diplomacy remains a priority in China’s foreign-policy calculus.
At the same time, China has continued to expand its “friendship circle” beyond Asia. Irish premier Micheál Martin made a rare visit, the first by an Irish head of government in 14 years, while Canada’s prime minister, Carney, travelled to Beijing for his first visit since taking office. In meetings with visiting leaders, President Xi Jinping set out frameworks for deeper economic and strategic ties, including a proposal to build a “new-type strategic partnership” with Canada and a four-point plan for bilateral relations.
Beijing has amplified these face-to-face encounters with customary head-of-state diplomacy: congratulatory messages to Switzerland’s new president, to newly elected leaders in Guinea and Laos, and exchanges with cultural and educational delegations have kept presidential-level diplomacy active even when leaders are not meeting in person. These multiple channels create a sense of continuous engagement rather than episodic outreach.
Africa remains a ritual and a priority. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s early-year tour of African capitals and his attendance at the opening of the China–Africa Year of Cultural Exchange continue a 36-year tradition of China’s top diplomat making Africa his first overseas stop. In a year that marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between China and African states, Beijing is emphasising long-term ties, cultural cooperation and steady political messaging.
The opening flurry also featured a string of “firsts” — the first visiting European leader of the year, the South Korean president’s first post-inauguration trip to China, and a long-awaited Canadian premiership return to Beijing. Chinese analysts frame these milestones as signals of foreign states’ desire to broaden cooperation and share in China’s economic opportunities amid a slowing global economy.
On geopolitics, China took a clear stance against unilateral use of force and coercion in recent international crises, reiterating opposition to the imposition of one state’s will on another. Wang Yi publicly condemned the use or threat of force and decried a return to “jungle law” in international affairs while discussing developments in Venezuela and Iran with counterparts. That rhetoric complements Beijing’s parallel economic message: an open invitation to foreign businesses to invest in China and deepen bilateral trade and investment ties.
For external audiences, the opening weeks of 2026 offer a concentrated demonstration of Beijing’s strategic choreography: prioritise the neighbourhood, sustain long-standing southern partnerships, and court Europe and North America with pragmatic economic incentives. The immediate results are tangible cooperation agreements — for example, the signing of multiple documents with Seoul — and the political optics of a China that is both stable and open for business despite global uncertainty.