Recent state visits to Beijing by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, alongside other world leaders, have positioned China in the global spotlight, leading some analysts to describe it as a "stabilising force" and an "indispensable global power." Chinese media even characterized Beijing as an international "living room" and declared the world was entering "Beijing time."
However, this perceived influence is limited. Foreign leaders often visit China to gain leverage in dealings with the Trump administration, as seen with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit. Beijing also demands a high "entry price," with leaders making policy concessions, such as Trump backtracking on earlier calls to block Chinese nationals from buying farmland in the US and Carney reducing tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles to 6.1% for the first 49,000 cars annually. Crucially, these visits have not altered China’s core foreign policy, as Beijing continues to support Russia and Iran, and failed to resolve disagreements over the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline with Putin. While China gains visibility, this does not necessarily translate into effective global leadership, constrained by domestic economic pressures and competing international priorities.
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