In 2025, China's diplomacy unfolded against a backdrop of intensified geopolitical competition, persistent economic uncertainty and growing calls from developing countries for a stronger voice in global governance. Marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations (UN), the year was widely seen as a turning point in the international order.

China emphasized strategic stability, multilateral engagement and development-oriented cooperation. Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, it sought to foster positive interaction and coordination with major countries, deepen ties with neighbors and the Global South, and promote peace and development amid rising conflict and global division.

Hosting the SCO Summit and launching the Global Governance Initiative 

President Xi Jinping hosted the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The summit brought together the leaders of more than 20 countries and the heads of 10 international organizations. During the summit, member states signed 24 outcome documents.

A key moment came at the "SCO Plus" Meeting on September 1, where President Xi introduced the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). The GGI sets out five actions: upholding sovereign equality, abiding by the international rule of law, practicing true multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on real actions. The principles echo the spirit and goals of the UN Charter and reflect China's broader vision of a more balanced, cooperative, multipolar international order.

In his keynote address at the meeting, President Xi urged the SCO to assume a stronger leadership role, safeguarding world peace and stability, advancing openness and global cooperation, championing humanity's shared values, defending international fairness and justice and setting an example in implementing the GGI.

The summit also released five statements on sustainable energy development, green industry, the digital economy, AI and science and technology cooperation. In addition, participants advanced an action plan to promote high-quality economic and trade cooperation within the SCO.

China and the U.S. stabilizing relations through dialogue 

In 2025, the China-U.S. relationship faced continued pressure from unilateral U.S. measures, yet both sides cautiously moved toward renewed cooperation in areas of mutual interest. A pivotal moment came on October 30 last year, when President Xi met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia‑Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Busan, the Republic of Korea, their first in‑person encounter since Trump began his second term last January.

The meeting, which followed multiple rounds of consultations between the two sides, helped stabilize bilateral ties. The leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in economic, trade, energy and other fields and to encourage more people-to-people exchange.

China emphasizes managing differences between the world's two largest economies through institutionalized dialogue. This sustained engagement plays an important role in upholding global stability, given the outsized influence of China and the United States on the world economy and the international order.

China and the EU: 50 years of diplomatic relations 

On July 24, 2025, President Xi met with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who were in Beijing for the 25th China-EU Summit.

During the talks, Xi said China and the European Union are both constructive forces for multilateralism, openness and cooperation. He put forward three proposals for advancing China-EU relations, namely, upholding mutual respect to reinforce the China-EU partnership, upholding openness and cooperation to manage differences and frictions, and upholding multilateralism to safeguard international rules and order.

Throughout the year, commemorative events highlighted the depth of economic and people‑to‑people ties built over five decades. While disagreements persist, especially over trade policy, regulatory issues and geopolitical concerns, the anniversary served as a platform to stabilize expectations, manage differences and reinforce the importance of sustained dialogue in a rapidly changing international landscape.

Neighborhood diplomacy, a deeper strategic priority 

Last April, President Xi embarked on a major diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia, which took him to Viet Nam, Malaysia and Cambodia. Throughout the visit, Xi reaffirmed China's commitment to fostering friendship and partnership with neighboring countries. He also underscored the importance of building a community with a shared future grounded in mutual respect, win-win cooperation and shared development.

On June 16, President Xi attended the 2025 China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, alongside leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The summit strengthened China's cooperation with Central Asia on connectivity, energy and regional platforms.

On October 27, Premier Li Qiang attended the Fifth RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) Leaders' Meeting and the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the EAS, he made three proposals: continuously building extensive consensus, focusing on solving prominent issues and reforming and improving the system of norms.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement among the 10 ASEAN member states and five external partners: China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. It forms the world's largest free trade area by economic scale and population coverage.

These high‑level exchanges were part of China's effort to promote practical cooperation with neighboring countries. China emphasized mutual benefit, non‑interference and sustained dialogue as core principles in managing differences with neighboring states and reinforcing regional stability as a foundation for broader global engagement.

Promoting cooperation among Global South countries 

At the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, 2025, participating leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation among emerging and developing economies under the theme of Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance. BRICS is a group of emerging economies originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Premier Li delivered a speech at a plenary session titled Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance during the summit, in which he noted that BRICS countries should uphold independence and self-reliance, demonstrate a sense of responsibility, and play a greater role in building consensus and synergy. Li also called on BRICS countries to focus on development and bolster the drivers of economic growth, adding that they should actively spearhead development cooperation and tap into the growth potential of emerging sectors.

China also announced plans to establish the China-BRICS New Quality Productive Forces Research Center and the BRICS New Industry Golden Egret Excellence Scholarships to train talent in key sectors such as industry and telecommunications, fostering innovation and long‑term economic cooperation among member states. Additionally, China pledged to host 200 digital economy and AI training programs over the next five years to support capacity building across the Global South.

New quality productive forces refer to the shift toward innovation-driven growth, technological advancement and high-quality development in various sectors of the economy.

Through multilateral platforms such as BRICS and South‑South cooperation mechanisms, China has consistently advocated for development‑centered global governance.

Upholding the UN-centered international system and WTO-centered multilateral trading system 

When meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres in Tianjin on August 30, 2025, President Xi said China will always be a trustworthy partner of the UN. He emphasized that China will deepen cooperation with the organization, support its central role in international affairs and work with the UN to shoulder responsibility for safeguarding world peace and promoting development and prosperity.

On September 23, Premier Li, who was attending the General Debate of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly and related high-level events in New York City, the United States, announced at the high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI) that as a responsible major developing country, China will not seek any new special and differential treatment in current or future World Trade Organization negotiations.

The GDI is an international cooperation framework proposed by China to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by fostering practical, open and inclusive partnerships for shared global growth.

This announcement reflects China's consideration of both domestic and international imperatives and underscores its firm commitment to upholding the multilateral trading system and to actively advancing the China-proposed GDI and the GGI. The move is expected to provide a strong boost to the liberalization and facilitation of global trade and investment, and to inject positive momentum into the ongoing reforms of the global economic governance system.

Constructive role in the resolution of regional hotspot issues 

On December 29, foreign ministers and senior military officials from China, Cambodia and Thailand convened by Fuxian Lake in Yuxi, a city in the southwestern Chinese Province of Yunnan, for a trilateral dialogue aimed at consolidating the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand. The meeting produced broad consensus on de-escalation measures and steps to improve bilateral relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.

This diplomatic initiative once again underscored China's role as a responsible and effective facilitator in regional conflict resolution. By promoting dialogue without imposing outcomes, China demonstrated a non-disruptive, non-competitive and non-hegemonic approach to international mediation. The outcome reflected China's broader foreign policy philosophy, prioritizing political solutions, regional stability and respect for sovereignty, and reinforced its image as a constructive major power committed to peace and cooperation.

Belt and Road partners advancing high-quality cooperation 

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held in Beijing on October 20-23, adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. The document outlines China's policy priorities and developmental goals for the 2026-30 period. Notably, the section titled Promoting High-Standard Opening Up and Creating New Horizons for Mutually Beneficial Cooperation includes a dedicated focus on advancing high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reaffirming the BRI's pivotal role in China's long-term development strategy. The China-proposed BRI aims to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.

Throughout 2025, both in China and across international cooperation platforms, policymakers and experts consistently emphasized that the BRI should deepen practical economic and people-to-people cooperation, enhance infrastructure connectivity and strengthen institutional frameworks to manage project risks and promote inclusive growth. Increasingly, BRI projects have prioritized green energy, digital infrastructure and local capacity building, aimed at addressing global concerns over environmental sustainability while bolstering the initiative's long-term credibility.

Expanding visa-free access to boost people-to-people exchange 

By the end of 2025, China had extended unilateral visa waivers to 48 countries. It also further streamlined its transit visa exemption policy, which now covers 55 countries and regions. The number of eligible ports of entry has expanded to 60, and the permitted duration of transit under this policy has been uniformly extended to 240 hours.

These measures were designed to support economic recovery, boost inbound tourism and strengthen global connectivity. They complemented China's high‑standard opening up and mutual exchange, helping build its image as an open destination for international visitors and investors.

Visa facilitation has become both a practical instrument of economic and social engagement and a signature element of China's diplomacy, emphasizing openness, cooperation and global integration.

Active participation in global dialogue on AI and climate governance 

In 2025, China played an increasingly active role in shaping international discussions on forwardlooking issues such as AI governance and climate change. It advocated governance frameworks that balance innovation with fairness, highlighting development, equity and international cooperation as guiding principles.

On July 26, Premier Li addressed the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, where he stressed the international community should place greater emphasis on the joint governance of AI and called for the early formation of a global framework and rules that have broad consensus to guide its development and use.

Throughout the year, China also reiterated its climate commitments at major multilateral meetings, consistently linking technological governance with sustainable development goals. China emphasized that emerging technologies, including AI, should support green transition, economic growth and social wellbeing, rather than exacerbate global inequality or technological divides.

By engaging proactively in global rulemaking on future-oriented challenges, China has expanded the scope of its diplomacy beyond traditional security and economic issues, positioning itself as a participant in shaping norms for emerging domains critical to long-term global stability and development. BR

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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