How Trump and Putin’s back-to-back visits put Beijing at the centre of great-power diplomacy

Just days after US President Donald Trump’s visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin was greeted with much of the same pomp and ceremony on Wednesday. The visits showed “whether by coincidence or design” that China has options and can maintain good relations with both Washington and Moscow, said Dylan Loh, an associate professor at NTU’s SSS. “They are not mutually exclusive,” he said. Beyond Trump and Putin, a series of leaders - particularly from Europe - have also visited Beijing, creating the optics of multiple countries courting China, Loh added.

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