Yearender-Xi Focus: Key takeaways from Xi's diplomacy in 2024

BEIJING -- As the year 2024 comes to a close, here are the key takeaways from President Xi Jinping's diplomacy throughout the year.

Over the past year, Xi has engaged in extensive head-of-state diplomacy both at home and abroad, making four overseas visits to Europe, to Central Asia, for the BRICS Summit, and to Latin America, as well as holding over 130 talks and meetings with foreign dignitaries.

He also attended the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and made personal efforts to reach out to peoples of other countries.

HEAD-OF-STATE DIPLOMACY

Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics has expanded its international influence in 2024, with its vision of peaceful development and win-win cooperation gaining wider global recognition.

Xi has demonstrated his strategic vision and strong leadership in maintaining close communication with leaders of other major countries. The China-Russia partnership saw continued high-level engagement. President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met three times this year, enhancing bilateral comprehensive strategic coordination.

Regarding China-US relations, Xi met with President Joe Biden and sent congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump, providing strategic guidance for bilateral relations at pivotal moments.

Xi's diplomatic initiatives with leaders of European countries, including France, Germany, Britain, Spain, and Italy, have focused on deepening strategic dialogue and fostering win-win cooperation.

The meetings with leaders of regional major countries like India and Japan have aimed at building mutual trust and advocating peaceful coexistence.

Throughout the year, Xi has focused on strengthening neighborly ties through close cooperation and interactions, such as making plans to usher in a "golden 30 years" of bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, and advancing a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era with Tajikistan.

A diplomatic breakthrough came in January this year when Nauru made the political decision to adhere to the one-China principle and restore diplomatic relations with China.

Two months later, at Xi's invitation, Nauru's President David Adeang visited China. During the visit, Nauru agreed to participate in the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Friendship, no matter it comes early or late, will usher in a bright future; and cooperation, regardless of scale, will be productive as long as it is sincere, Xi said during his talks with Adeang.

MODERNIZATION FOR ALL

The year 2024 saw China's unwavering commitment to embracing the world through high-level opening up, and the win-win cooperation has brought broad opportunities for other countries in their pursuit of modernization.

Over the years, more than 100,000 freight trains have traveled between China and Europe. So far, 155 countries have joined the Belt and Road cooperation, and 54 countries now enjoy transit visa exemptions.

This year also saw the arrival in Shanghai of the first batch of goods from the Peruvian port of Chancay, and the official commencement of construction on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

In the face of rising unilateralism and protectionism, China remains committed to high-level opening up. Just as Xi noted, China is ready to share its development opportunities with other countries and promote the modernization of all countries that features peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity.

China has lifted 800 million people out of absolute poverty, and met the poverty reduction target of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule, thus contributing to the global efforts in poverty alleviation.

"If China can make it, other developing countries can make it too," said Xi, highlighting that China's successful experience in poverty alleviation has resonated with other countries around the world.

World leaders have praised China's remarkable achievements and its role in shaping global development.

Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar stated that China's development serves as an example for other developing countries. Gambian President Adama Barrow emphasized that China represents hope and the future, and that deeper cooperation with China is key to national development.

PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL SOUTH

From Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana, to the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan and the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, China is playing an increasingly significant role in world affairs as a major country, and a leading role in the Global South.

China has actively engaged in interactions with partners and friends from the Global South in 2024.

Calling on the Global South to be the staunch force for peace, the core driving force for open development, the construction team of global governance, and the advocates for exchange among civilizations, Xi elaborated on the mission of the Global South, and offered a Chinese solution to addressing the global deficits in peace, development, governance and trust.

Concrete efforts were also made to better support Global South cooperation.

When addressing the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Beijing, Xi announced eight initiatives, covering such areas as personnel training, youth exchanges, economic development, free trade, agriculture, digital economy and green ecology.

In September, Xi delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, announcing ten partnership actions for modernization to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead the Global South modernization.

"No matter how the international landscape evolves, we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South," said Xi as he delivered an important speech at the "BRICS Plus" leaders' dialogue in Kazan, Russia.

NEW CHAPTER IN BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE

During President Xi's visit to Brazil in November, the two heads of state announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a "community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet."

From Latin America to the wider world, the effort to build a community with a shared future for mankind has gained significant momentum over the past year, with active participation from various parties.

A notable example is the launch of the China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era this year, the first of its kind in China's relations with European countries. Also, the Beijing Summit of the FOCAC saw the announcement of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, embodying the common will of the 2.8 billion Chinese and African people to stand united through challenges.

With the bigger picture of the future of mankind in mind, Xi stressed that at the historic moment when mankind has to choose between peace and war, prosperity and recession, unity and confrontation, "we must always strive tirelessly for the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind."

China has worked actively for the restoration of peace and stability in hotspot areas. While maintaining an objective and just stance on the Ukraine crisis and actively promoting peace talks, China, working together with Brazil, issued six common understandings for a political resolution to the crisis, and brought other Global South countries together to launch the Group of Friends for Peace to gather consensus for finding a path to peace.

Furthermore, on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, China has pushed for the adoption of the first resolution by the UN Security Council on a ceasefire in Gaza, and facilitated a reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions and the signing of the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity by 14 Palestinian factions.

On many occasions, President Xi has advocated the concept of shared responsibility as dwellers of the same planet and noted that "countries are not riding on more than 190 small boats, but instead on a big boat with a common destiny." He called for solidarity, coordination and win-win cooperation as the overarching trend of the times.

Under Xi's leadership, China is pooling global strength to advance the cause of peace and development, opening a new chapter in the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.