China's Xi builds diplomatic clout with multiple state visits ahead of Trump summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make rare state visits to Egypt and, likely India, before his expected trip to the U.S. in late September.

Xi has "sharply curtailed foreign travel in recent years, so his busy upcoming travel schedule is a significant gauge of his priorities," Gabriel Wildau, managing director at Teneo, told CNBC in an email.

The Chinese leader this year has so far only ventured abroad once: a state visit in June to North Korea for the first time in seven years . Meanwhile. the world has come to China, with more than 20 leaders — including U.S. President Donald Trump — visiting Beijing in the first half of the year, pointed out U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The global stakes have only risen, with the Iran war, U.S.-China trade tensions and growing security risks from artificial intelligence. For Beijing, that's building the case for an evolution in its global role.

"It's time for China to probably take bigger responsibility, provide more global public goods," said Hai Zhao, a director of international political studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a state-affiliated think tank.

"Because of China's deep integration into the global economy, China is an integral part of the solution," he said, whether it's supply chain security, oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz or cybersecurity.

Xi landed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. The country is hosting the security-focused Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit Monday and Tuesday. The annual event gathers the heads of Russia , India and other non-Western nations.

As part of the same trip, which runs through Thursday, Xi plans to make his first state visit to Egypt in a decade. China has built up its presence in the Suez Canal region with a bilateral economic and trade cooperation zone.