Xi Jinping has recently been meeting with American business and academic leaders. This trend has become characteristic of his leadership style over the last year. With each meeting, Xi has meticulously laid out China's rosy economic prospects, underlining the nation's steadfast commitment to reform and opening up, all to attract more foreign investment.

Whether he is meeting with Bill Gates, Elon Musk or Stephen Schwarzman, Xi consistently emphasizes a key concept: The hope for U.S.-China relations lies in the people. What he really means is that the hope for Sino-U.S. relations lies in the business community.

In contrast, interactions with American officials last year, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, were far less warm. China's response was notably reserved; it declined communication with the U.S. military. Presently, Chinese media remains filled with criticisms of the U.S.

Against this backdrop, one might question the apparent favoritism towards the American business community. It could indicate that Xi Jinping has recognized the limitations of relying on China's domestic resources and partnerships with developing nations to tackle economic challenges.

Consequently, Xi is again looking to Western technology, investments and markets for support. However, instead of directly engaging with Western governments, he aims to leverage the influence of the business sector to achieve........

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