China is the real winner after Trump and Putin’s back-to-back visits

Putin and Trump both went to Beijing with different goals – but China is still on top (Picture: AP/Getty)

Just days after Donald Trump visited Beijing in a lavish state visit, Vladimir Putin paid a visit to his dear friend Xi Jinping and bragged about their friendship.

Both world leaders were welcomed by Xi with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, with the Chinese President expressing delight at both Trump and Putin for visiting him.

But below the smiles and handshakes, both China and Russia were addressing the elephant in the room – the recent state visit from Trump.

The similarities between the two visits were hard to miss. Red carpets, dances in honour of the visit, lavish dinners and talks about world peace.

Trump and Putin both went to Beijing with different goals. Both appear to have achieved some, if not all of them, but China is the one holding the cards at the ...