When Western leaders line up for meetings in Beijing, it is tempting to declare a geopolitical turning point. With Emmanuel Macron visiting in December, followed by Mark Carney and Keir Starmer, and with Friedrich Merz preparing for his own trip, the optics suggest a West drifting towards China. When Western leaders line up for meetings in Beijing, it is tempting to declare a geopolitical turning point. With Emmanuel Macron visiting in December, followed by Mark Carney and Keir Starmer, and with Friedrich Merz preparing for his own trip, the optics suggest a West drifting towards China.