President Xi Jinping's unscripted moments during the summits in Southeast Asia last week offered rare insights into the country's most powerful leader in decades and reassurances about his post-pandemic diplomacy.
In contrast to his hardline approach at the Communist Party's national congress in October 2022, where he clinched an unprecedented third term, Xi appeared cordial and cooperative at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Bangkok last week.
