Every world leader who has visited China in 2026 in one chart

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.

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.

Leaders 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.

The stream of visitors is particularly notable because Chinese President Xi Jinping has spent the year hosting foreign dignitaries at home rather than travelling abroad himself.

Many leaders have come seeking new investment opportunities, greater access to the Chinese market or cooperation in areas such as manufacturing, technology, energy and infrastructure.