Beijing has welcomed more than a dozen heads of state and government so far this year, with Chinese President Xi Jinping positioning China as a hub of global diplomacy and a champion of a multipolar world order. Recent visitors have included Bangladesh's incoming prime minister Tarique Rahman and Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing — who received a red-carpet reception despite facing UN accusations of overseeing war crimes — as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and US President Donald Trump. Analysts say the diplomatic surge reflects Xi's strategy of drawing "middle-power" countries away from Washington's orbit and consolidating China's leadership of the Global South, though critics note Beijing's actual influence in resolving international crises, from Ukraine to the Middle East, remains limited.