RIO DE JANEIRO / BRASILIA –
In his first global meetings since Donald Trump was re-elected to lead the U.S., Chinese President Xi Jinping went on a diplomatic offensive, hedging against expected new tariffs and preparing to exploit potential future rifts between Washington and its allies.
At meeting after meeting, from APEC in Peru to G20 in Brazil over the last week, Xi sought to draw a contrast with Trump’s “America First” message, presenting himself as a predictable defender of the multilateral global trade order.
Summit organizers, diplomats and negotiators also describe a noticeable shift from previous summits in a more constructive posture by Chinese diplomats, who were less focused on their narrow interests and more involved in building a broader consensus.
