As Washington unsettles its partners, Beijing is reaping diplomatic gains, without backing down on human rights, trade or security.
The calculation was that those countries would eventually seek closer ties to China to hedge against the United States, and that when they did so, they would be more accommodating of Beijing’s interests.
That bet is now paying off with the procession of European and Canadian leaders arriving in China seeking to deepen ties with the world’s second-largest economy — even as Beijing has conceded little on the issues that once divided them, like human rights, espionage, election interference and unbalanced trade.
Link to non-paywalled NYT analysis article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/world/asia/trump-xi-starmer-carney.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IlA.xWjS.AX3r-ASffSQw&smid=url-share