Researcher: Trump and Putin visits reveal China's growing global power

Estonian defence researcher Toomas Hanso says that visits by Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and European leaders to China reflect the country's increasing geopolitical momentum. Hanso made the remarks in an interview with the foreign affairs programme 'Välisilm'. The pattern of world leaders travelling to Beijing signals a major shift in global power dynamics.

China's rising geopolitical influence is being reflected in the steady stream of world leaders making their way to Beijing, according to Toomas Hanso, a junior researcher at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Estonia.

Speaking in an interview with the Estonian foreign affairs television programme *Välisilm*, [Toomas Hanso](/politicians/toomas-hanso) argued that visits by US President [Donald Trump](/politicians/donald-trump), Russian leader [Vladimir Putin](/politicians/vladimir-putin), and various European heads of state to China all point to the same underlying reality — that Beijing currently holds significant geopolitical momentum on the world stage.

## A Magnet for World Leaders

The convergence of leaders from opposing geopolitical camps — Western democracies and Russia alike — travelling to China underscores how Beijing has positioned itself as an indispensable actor in global affairs. Rather than world leaders waiting for Chinese officials to come to them, the dynamic has increasingly reversed, with capitals around the world seeking out Chinese engagement.

For Estonia and the broader Baltic region, China's growing centrality in international diplomacy carries particular weight. As the country navigates tensions between the West and Russia, Beijing's role as a potential mediator — or complicating factor — in the Ukraine conflict and broader European security architecture has drawn increased attention from defence analysts.