China is engaging with the world in a much more systematic way than it did before, which is a positive development, according to a professor of global history at Oxford University.

"This is partly because of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the rebuilding of connections in countries across Asia and Africa," said Peter Frankopan, author of the international bestseller, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, adding "part of this also comes from a growing awareness that the world is changing".

Frankopan, who also is the director of the Oxford Center for Byzantine Research, said the greatest challenge China faces is the changing world around it.

"China does not exist within a bubble, but like all countries at the moment, is faced with a time of profound transition, which makes collaboration and cooperation more important than ever," he added.