Rarely, if ever, has China had a more active year in diplomacy. President Xi Jinping (習近平) was seemingly everywhere, and his multiple state visits met with marked successes. China's "First Lady", Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), accompanied her husband on most visits and left her own very positive impression in many countries. Together, Xi and Peng are very effective emissaries of their nation around the world and they deserve credit for their personal diplomacy.

Xi and Peng's European diplomacy was highlighted by their regal trip to the UK in October. The British extended the "highest honours" throughout the four-day state visit – from Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Guildhall, a 103-gun salute and a ride down The Mall in Queen Elizabeth's jewel-studded diamond jubilee coach, and other accolades – a degree of pomp and circumstance that Downing Street has accorded few foreign dignitaries in the past. As it unfolded, the government of David Cameron gratuitously proclaimed that the UK was "China's best partner in the West" and a "golden era" in British-China relations had opened. The visit netted business deals worth £30 billion (HK$345 billion) and seemed to put the fluctuant relationship on more solid footing, although domestic commentary criticised the British government's fawning throughout the visit.