Where are Xi, Trump going? Travel map reveals scale of changing world order

Key points

• Outbound diplomacy: US presidents travel more;
• Xi travels wider Inbound diplomacy: More world leaders go to China than US Regional shifts & post-pandemic competition Policy implications: What these patterns mean Beijing’s strategy China’s diplomatic machine is designed to broaden leader-level engagement across emerging economies where alignments are fluid.
• It combines leader travel, high-profile summits (BRI forums, China International Import Expo), economic cooperation, party-to-party channels, and institutional outreach.
• This creates frequent, direct access to policymakers across Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and Latin America — regions that will matter for future economic growth, infrastructure demand, and geopolitics.
• Strengths: Convening power, targeted economic ties, use of incentives and development finance, and a political apparatus oriented to sustained relationship-building.