Xi wants to make China more lovable around the world

President Xi Jinping said this week that China must improve the way it tells its "stories" to a global audience as it seeks an "international voice" that reflects the growing status of the world's second-largest economy, the official news agency Xinhua reported. "We must pay attention to grasp the tone, be both open and confident but also modest and humble, and strive to create a credible, lovable and respectable image of China," Xi said Monday at a Communist Party study meeting, according to Xinhua. He added that it was crucial that China improve how it presented its narrative globally in order to "make friends." The comments suggest a possible shift in China's approach as relations with key powers — most notably the United States — continue to deteriorate.