Series of visits shows Beijing's anchoring role

Diplomatic whirl seen as sign more nations place confidence in China

There was a diplomatic whirl in Beijing over the past two weeks, as a steady stream of high-level visitors traveled to China — an unusually intensive diplomatic scheduling at a time when the conflicts in the Middle East have hit energy security and the sluggish world economy.

Among those who visited were Pedro Sanchez, prime minister of Spain; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates; To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese president; Daniel Francisco Chapo, president of Mozambique; Saleumxay Kommasith, Laos' standing deputy prime minister; and Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister.

These trips by leaders and officials from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eurasia and Africa are seen as part of the changing landscape of global power, highlighting the broad appeal of China's diplomacy and its role as an anchor of stability in a turbulent world, observers said.