'Drop-in' visit another example of Xi's acupoint diplomacy

Visiting President Xi Jinping described the busy two-way visits between China and South Korea - especially between himself and his counterpart, Park Geun-hye - as "drop-ins among relatives", referring to the close bond between the two Asian neighbors and the personal friendship between the two leaders.  [Special coverage]

The two presidents, since taking office more than a year ago, have met five times, in addition to e-mail exchanges and telephone conversations on birthdays and key occasions.

In a joint news briefing, Park described her meeting with Xi on Thursday, which lasted for more than an hour, as one between old friends.

China and South Korea are close neighbors with a long historical bond and are staunch supporters of each other. Cooperation between the two plays a vital role in ensuring the growth and stability of the region.

It is for these reasons that Xi made his special visit here.

The current trip is the first time that Xi has visited just one country during a single overseas trip.

Xi has been creative in mapping the diplomacy of China, a country with a giant emerging economy and several diplomatic challenges.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has described this kind of short but effective single-destination overseas visit as "acupoint-stimulating" diplomacy.

Acupoint is a term used in traditional Chinese acupuncture and means a vital point of the body that influences the performance of the organs and junctures. Finger-pressing these key acupoints that play a vital role can help maintain fitness and improve health.

Acupoint-pressing diplomacy means that instead of carrying out a long and crowded schedule of overseas visits, a single swift movement can play an effective and enormous role.

We can see a similar style of acupoint-pressing visit in Xi's diplomacy with Russia.

The short visit he made to Russia for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in February showcased China's support for its neighbor, at a time when Russia was facing tremendous diplomatic pressure.

It was the first time that a Chinese top leader made a visit abroad to attend the opening ceremony of an international sports event.

While meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Xi said, "As our neighbor is celebrating a joyous occasion, we come here to say congratulations!"

Xi impresses the world and China with his personal style.

He often uses vivid words instead of rigid diplomatic wording. He drank vodka and shared birthday cake with Putin, like university students.

With the United States, Xi and US President Barack Obama held a meeting at a California estate last summer, creating a flexible form of gathering between the leaders of the two largest economies, since there were no international meetings at which the two leaders could meet in the near term.

Featuring "no ties and sleeves up", the meeting set the guideline for how a developed power and an emerging power can get along with each other.

Diplomatic wisdom is urgently needed for China as it faces serious diplomatic challenges. This giant emerging country has inevitably challenged the existing world order. Despite the fact that it is a major contributor to world economic growth and peacekeeping, some countries are still trying hard to check China.

Hopefully, Xi's diplomacy can win China more understanding and support as it grows.