China Briefing | Why a stronger Xi Jinping is taking a gentler approach in China’s foreign affairs

With the conclusion last month of the Communist Party’s 19th congress, which made Xi Jinping China’s most powerful president since Mao Zedong, the general consensus among overseas analysts is that China’s foreign policy will become more confident, assertive, and muscular through its military build-up in places like the South China Sea and through economic schemes like the Belt and Road Initiative. In his report to the congress, Xi vowed that China would continue to seek a greater role in world affairs in a new era as it strides towards the global centre-stage.

Last week, he chose Vietnam for his first foreign visit after the congress following heightened bilateral tensions over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Recent media reports have suggested South Korean President Moon Jae-in could visit China as early as next month following more than a year of hostilities over the deployment of US anti-missile systems in South Korea, which China believes threaten its security. Even relations between China and Japan are on the mend as both Xi and Premier Li Keqiang met with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe last week.

All these developments, most of which on first glance appear sudden, seem to signal that Beijing has recalibrated its approach to dealing with countries in Asia. This is particularly so for those countries with which Beijing has territorial or diplomatic issues, and comes as the international community watches closely for telltale signs of China’s new foreign policy thrusts in Xi’s second term. In particular, there are more signs to suggest that Beijing has taken a more magnanimous approach in dealings with smaller countries in Asia as it tries to set up a China-led Asian order through its mighty economic and political influences.