China

Putin to Visit Beijing Days After Trump’s China Trip

Did Trump's China visit strengthen U.S. influence or expose Washington's shrinking leverage against the rising Xi-Putin alliance?

Published 3 days ago

Putin to Visit Beijing Days After Trump’s China Trip

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Above: Xi Jinping welcomes Vladimir Putin to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025. Image credit: Suo Takekuma/Pool/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

Beijing is cementing itself as the world’s indispensable power, with leaders lining up to engage — Trump one week, Putin the next. The China-Russia partnership is built on hard structural realities: energy pipelines, shared borders, $200-plus billion in trade and a mutual need to counterbalance U.S. pressure. No amount of American tariff threats or sanctions is likely to unwind a relationship driven by geography, food security, strategic necessity and deep energy interdependence.

Anadolu Agency RT Global Times Al Jazeera

Anti-China narrative

Beijing may project itself as an indispensable global power, but much of that image rests on transactional diplomacy and authoritarian alignment rather than genuine trust. The China-Russia partnership is less a sign of strength than a marriage of convenience between two isolated powers under Western pressure. Geography and trade may bind them for now, but economic strain, strategic mistrust and competing long-term interests could still expose the limits of this axis.