But outside the nations involved in the present West Asian war, China under President Xi Jinping is quietly winning the trust of a large number of countries covering all continents as a mature nation which believes in multipolarity and disfavours any policy of unilateralism as opposed to the present policies of the United States of America led by Donald Trump. China is emerging as the meeting room of the world in an era of wars and continuous diplomatic crisis.

Beijing has become the port of call for a major part of the countries of Europe and Asia who are worried at the developments in West Asia and are looking for active Beijing role in resolving the crisis. In just 10 days, foreign dignitaries including Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vietnamese President To Lam, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have visited China in succession. Leaders from various countries - including the US, Russia - have also announced upcoming visits.

Just the visits are not that important. What is significant is the tone, the trust they are expressing in China’s capability to act as an independent power for facilitating the solution of the crisis."China is destined to play a key role in the world's future." This is what Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during his recent visit to China, in a speech delivered at Tsinghua University. He also stated that "cooperation does not weaken science. It strengthens it." The two keywords - "future" and "cooperation" - are the themes running relating to China.

Chinese foreign ministry officials are very upbeat at the number of foreign visits and the nature of concluded deals. They indicate the very nature of the upgradation of both political and economic relations between China and the other countries. The Chinese position is that there has been some basic changes in the general perception about China in the recent months and that has given dividends now with more and more foreign officials including heads of states visiting Beijing.

Chinese officials explain this new phenomenon of increasing interest in relationship with China to three major factors. First China is now recognized as a big power, next only to the USA. China is industrially and technologically developed and is in a position to assist the economic development of a large number of nations. China also has a resilient and predictable policy as against the maverick nature of the American President.

In an era full of volatility, China offers policy continuity, resilient industrial chains, a commitment to multilateralism, and adherence to cooperative commitments. "The international community has widely recognized that China represents new concepts and new practices, and is a force capable of genuinely guiding the world through its transformation toward peace, prosperity, and stability. In contrast stands the outdated logic of bloc confrontation and unilateralism," said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University.

The second factor, according to the Chinese daily Global Times,, is - China is open and inclusive. A closer look at the composition of visiting delegations reveals a multi-regional and multi-dimensional pattern. Different countries have different priorities, yet all point toward deeper engagement with China. Neighbouring countries such as Vietnam seek good-neighbourly relations and regional coordination to strengthen the foundation of a community with a shared future.

European countries such as Spain seek cooperation in green energy and technological innovation; Middle Eastern countries focus on regional peace. Regardless of their specific goals or positions, countries are willing to approach China because China consistently treats every partner with an open and inclusive attitude. This equal-footing diplomatic approach has enabled China's "circle of friends" to keep expanding, GT says.

The third factor, according to GT is — China is a good choice of shared opportunities for cooperation. During Khaled's visit to China, China and the UAE signed 24 Memorandums of Understanding; during Sanchez's visit, he toured the Chinese Academy of Sciences and visited Chinese tech companies, experiencing new products such as automobiles and smartphones; upon arriving in Beijing, To Lam immediately led a high-level Vietnamese delegation on a high-speed rail trip to the Xiong'an New Area.

The continuing visits to Beijing by the foreign dignitaries including the big powers of Europe have boosted the confidence of the Chinese leadership before the coming visit of the US President to China on May 14 and 15 this year. This will be historic visit and on the eve of that, China is well equipped by opening up new areas of collaboration with major countries of Asia and Europe. This will help President XI Jinping in improving his bargaining position in the talks with President Trump. On the eve of May summit, it is advantage China. (IPA Service)