Xi Jinping’s summits with Trump and Putin reveal two approaches

BEIJING (AP) — On the surface, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed quite similar, with formal handshakes in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, enthusiastic greetings from children waving flowers and columns of soldiers brandishing gleaming bayonets. But the visits also revealed how different relations between China and the two countries are.

During Trump’s visit, China sought to stabilize links with the United States, while Putin’s trip served to deepen relations strategic partnership with Russia.

Xi emphasized ceremonial hospitality during Trump’s visit, including a rare visit to Zhongnanhaia former imperial garden which today serves as the headquarters of China’s highest leaders. Beijing understood that Trump appreciated the highly visible displays of respect, said George Chen, partner for the Greater China practice at The Asia Group. “Xi knows that’s what Trump values: being treated like a VIP, respected in front of the cameras.”

With Putin, Chen said, Xi has gone to the bottom. “Reaffirm the friendship treaty, sign new energy agreements and reaffirm their ‘limitless’ partnership,” he added.

The similarities and contrasts began with the calendar

The differences between the two visits begin with their duration: the American president stayed in China for three days, while Putin’s visit lasted two.

The two leaders were greeted in Tiananmen Square by ceremonial guards, a military band and flag-waving children.

Both also held closed-door meetings with Xi at the Great Hall of the People, next to the square.

Trump also enjoyed a private tour of the Temple of Heaven and walked through the Zhongnanhai Imperial Gardens.

Putin, on the other hand, spent much of his time with Xi inside the Great Hall of the Peoplewhere the two presidents visited a photo exhibition on Sino-Russian relations and then had tea.

Last week’s trip was Trump’s second visit to China as president. For Putin, it was his 25th visit to the country.

The clearest division appeared in the message

The main contrast between the two summits was in their message.

Along with Trump, Xi has focused on the need to maintain a relatively stable relationship after months of tensions and a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. He urged the US president to view China as a partner rather than a rival, and the two leaders agreed to work towards what they described as “a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability.”

With Putin, Xi has sought to strengthen and deepen a long-standing partnership that is of both strategic and economic importance to both countries.

While the United States and China are still trying to stabilize their trade relationship, Moscow and Beijing have reaffirmed their relationship as essential partners. Putin said the “driving force” of the relationship was the energy sector, particularly oil and gas.

Xi signed agreements with only one of the presidents

China and Russia have concluded more than 40 cooperation agreements covering areas such as trade, technology and media exchanges. The two leaders also signed a joint statement describing Russia and China as “important centers of power in a multipolar world.”

Trump and Xi, in contrast, did not sign a joint statement or publicly oversee the signing of any agreements during the visit. It was only after the US president left Beijing that the two countries announced the details of their agreement. several agreementsWashington saying China had agreed to purchase US agricultural products at an annualized rate of $17 billion and purchase US agricultural products. 200 Boeing planes.

“China and Russia have made more agreements, and with China and the United States, what are these agreements? Even that is not very clear,” said Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin.

But Lyle Morris, a senior fellow in national security and Chinese foreign policy at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China Analysis Center, said the biggest surprise of the Xi-Putin meetings was that it appeared no formal agreement had been signed to the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline projectwhich could send gas from Russia to China via Mongolia.

“This is a huge setback for Russia and Putin,” he said.

Putin and Trump have different positions on Taiwan

Moscow is closely aligned with Beijing on the issue of Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own. Meanwhile, the United States maintains an intentionally ambiguous position toward the island and is its main informal supporter and arms supplier.

Xi made it clear to Trump that Taiwan is the most important issue in bilateral relations and warned that mismanagement of US relations with the autonomous island could lead to a confrontation between the two countries.

Trump did not speak publicly to Taiwan during his visit. But on his way back to the United States, he described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good bargaining chip” with China, commenting that fueled anxieties on the island.

With Putin, there was no sign of disagreement on this issue.

In the joint statement signed by Xi and Putin, Russia reiterated its opposition to Taiwan independence “in any form” and expressed support for what it described as China’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and achieve “national unification.”

According to China’s Foreign Ministry, both sides also raised concerns over what they called an “accelerated remilitarization” of Japan, amid strained relations between China and Japan over Taiwan.

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Leung reported from Hong Kong and Mistreanu from Bangkok.