Xi Jinping steps back from the world stage as Li Qiang takes the UN spotlight

In a year marking the United Nations’ 80th anniversary, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will not address the General Assembly. Instead, Premier Li Qiang is delivering China’s remarks at the annual gathering, underscoring a shift in Beijing’s diplomacy as Xi reduces overseas trips and leans on trusted lieutenants to carry out policy. The development signals a more hands-off yet still centrally powerful leadership style, with Li stepping into a more visible role on the world stage.

Xi’s absence from the U.N. podium comes amid an evolving approach to international engagement. The leadership change aligns with Beijing’s use of the U.N. as an alternative to what it frames as U.S. pressure in global affairs. In recent years, Xi has traveled widely, but the post-pandemic era has seen a retreat from frequent international travel. The U.N. trip would have been a high-profile moment in the 80th anniversary year, yet Li is carrying the message instead.

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The shift reflects both practical and strategic calculations. Xi, who has led China for 13 years, has previously been a globe-trotting figure, from Buckingham Palace in 2015 to a face-to-face encounter with Donald Trump at his Florida resort in 2017. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted that pace, and since then Xi has become more selective about international travel. He skipped the Group of 20 leaders meeting in India in 2023 and passed on the BRICS summit in Brazil this year, with Li representing China at those gatherings instead. Analysts say the change is not a signal of diminished influence but a reallocation of energy and attention.

Times have changed, and Beijing appears to be adopting a posture in which foreign leaders come to Beijing to meet Xi, rather than the other way around. June Teufel Dreyer, a China politics expert at the University of Miami, suggested that Xi may prefer to project authority from the capital and extend his strategic reach through emissaries rather than constant travel. “My guess is that ... Xi feels that the rest of the world should come to Beijing, a la the emissaries of the world coming to affirm their fealty to the emperor,” Dreyer said.

Li Qiang’s ascent in 2023 to the No. 2 leadership post—jolting in part from his earlier role overseeing Shanghai during a strict COVID-19 lockdown—has reinforced a pattern in which loyalty matters as Xi tightens control. Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, notes that Li’s rise demonstrates how loyalty is rewarded within the party hierarchy. “Loyalty takes precedence in the Xi era,” Wu said, underscoring that Li’s selection reflects a broader strategy rather than a punitive reshuffle.

As Li now carries China’s development and climate positions to the world, he has already held talks at the United Nations this week with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, laying out Beijing’s priorities and signaling a shift away from the preferential treatment historically extended to developing countries in global trade talks. Li also announced that China would no longer seek advantages for developing countries in multilateral trade negotiations, a move that could reshape conversations at the World Trade Organization and in other forums. Neil Thomas, a Chinese politics fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, described Li as “an incredibly important person” to engage with during the U.N. meeting, noting that Li is effectively acting on Xi’s behalf and relaying messages between the Chinese leadership and the world.

Yet Xi’s continued grip on power remains evident. Thomas also pointed to the 72-year-old leader’s health and age as factors in a strategy that emphasizes sustainability of power through delegation rather than a wholesale decentralization of authority. “My view is that Xi Jinping’s decision to travel less is a strategic one designed to conserve his energy as he ages and ultimately strengthens his hold on power because he’s in Beijing more and is in better health,” Thomas said. He characterized the evolving leadership as a shift toward what he has described as a more oracular style, where decision-making is filtered through trusted aides who carry out policy with Xi’s overarching guidance.

Scholars say the shift does not signal a retreat from China’s ambitions but rather a recalibration of how Beijing projects influence. Li’s ability to engage with foreign governments and businesses could position him as a key conduit for China’s diplomacy and economic strategy in a world where Beijing’s growing clout is increasingly sought after. While Xi’s visits are less frequent, the Chinese leader’s ultimate power appears to remain centralized, bolstering the view that Li’s UN appearances are part of a deliberate distribution of public-facing diplomacy rather than a transfer of authority.

As Li delivers Beijing’s positions on development and climate at the United Nations and beyond, observers will watch closely to see how much room the premier gains in shaping China’s foreign-policy narrative and how closely Xi will continue to oversee strategic decisions from Beijing. For now, Li’s public presence at the UN signals a calculated step in a long-term plan to maintain Beijing’s momentum on the world stage while managing the personal and political realities of a leader who has already reshaped China’s internal politics.