British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is the latest senior official in a steady stream of world leaders visiting China this year.During her three-day trip this week, Cooper is expected to meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing before travelling to the southern tech hub of Shenzhen for a programme focused on science and technology.According to an Al Jazeera tally, Cooper is the 26th foreign leader or senior official to visit China this year. The list includes presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, crown princes and foreign ministers from 23 countries. (Al Jazeera)In all, leaders from Ireland, South Korea, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Germany, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Vietnam, Mozambique, Iran, Tajikistan, the United States, Seychelles, Moldova, Singapore, Serbia, Brazil, and Laos have travelled to China this year.Global trade and diplomacyLeaders have come to court China from all the significant regions, including Europe (10), Asia (8), the Middle East (2), Africa (2), North America (2) and Latin America (2).Among the most prominent have been Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in that order of visits. Presidents Trump and Xi on May 14, 2026, in Beijing, China, during a trip focused on trade, regional security and bilateral ties between the world’s two largest economies [Kenny Holston/Pool via Reuters …
