Overview
- Beijing hosted President Donald Trump and then President Vladimir Putin within days, using carefully staged diplomacy to project centrality in great‑power rivalry.
- Trump’s visit produced modest, largely provisional commercial pledges and rhetorical support on Iran rather than binding security or trade breakthroughs.
- Putin’s visit yielded a long joint statement and about 40 signed cooperation documents, while major economic projects such as the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline remained unresolved.
- Analysts say China’s dominance in manufacturing and critical minerals, including near‑monopolies in some rare‑earth supply chains, gives Beijing structural leverage that limits U.S. pressure.
- The summit sequence deepens doubts in New Delhi about relying on Washington as a steady counterweight, raises uncertainty over Taiwan and regional security, and points toward a longer period of managed, competitive coexistence.