China's Shifting Global Role: Xi Jinping's Next Term

At the pinnacle of a recent White House state dinner, the hierarchical structure of the world's two preeminent powers was starkly illustrated. Seated at the head table were two of the most influential leaders, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, joined by some of the most prominent figures in American technology, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Taiwanese-born leaders of two of the world's most crucial chipmakers, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su.

This extraordinary gathering brought together two vastly different political systems. On one side was Beijing's political apparatus, comprising Xi's closest diplomats, political architects, and economic executors who help consolidate his authority and power. On the other side were the individuals steering America's capital and technological revolution in AI.

Among Xi's delegation were three of China's most senior political elites: Cai Qi, one of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, and Politburo members Wang Yi and He Lifeng. This unprecedented display demonstrated Beijing's determination to understand its rival and grant the US access to its most powerful political elites.

There was no obvious indication that any of them was being positioned as Xi's successor. However, their presence added another layer of political weight to an evening already marked by tensions between the two sides and the quiet shift Xi was projecting to the rest of the world.

Shift in Global Dynamics

Forty years of reform and opening up transformed China into a manufacturing powerhouse and one of the world's largest economies. When China was keeping a relatively low profile and seeking as many orders from the West as possible for its economic gain, the US had been a dominant force in the international system and central to Beijing's developmental calculations.

That relationship has changed in Xi's era. He has placed greater emphasis on strategic autonomy and technological self-reliance, reducing China's vulnerability to a US-dominated system.

When Xi and Trump both agreed to engage constructively based on respect, fairness, and equality, it showed how the relationship had evolved since Xi's first term.

"The thinking in Beijing may be that while the US remains critical, it need not always be at the centre of China's foreign policy," said Han Lin, Shanghai-based China managing director of American strategic advisory firm The Asia Group.

China's Global Ambitions

Xi's projection beyond the bilateral is intentional, with analysts believing that he will continue to expand China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region. His effort in expending China's power alongside his unprecedented authority within the communist party is more obvious through his diplomatic trajectory this year.

"It is building coalitions abroad and it's also applying pressure including on America's allies," said Mikko Huotari, executive director of the German-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).

"China and the US will hold each other in check for the foreseeable future. Xi really doesn't need a breakthrough in Washington. He needs more time and the same is true for Washington."