TWO MAJOR SUMMITS IN MAY 2026 – XI, TRUMP, PUTIN

From the many thousands of media reports throughout the globe, this paper draws on media reports and commentary published between 12 and 26 May 2026, from BBC News, The Wall Street Journal, RT (Russia), The Australian, Foreign Policy, India Today, Sydney Morning Herald, Foreign Affairs, CGTN (China), Nikkei Asia, Taipei Times, South China Morning Post and The Saturday Paper.

US President Trump met with the Chinese leader, President Xi Jinping in Beijing 13-15 May 2026, followed only days later by a visit from the Russian President Vladimir Putin 19-20 May, also in Beijing. Since the beginning of 2026, China has seen many top foreign statesmen including from South Korea, Britain, Canada and Spain.

The Trump-Xi Summit

Trump was the first US president to visit the Chinese capital in almost a decade. The Chinese President Xi was a gracious host, declaring that “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand-in-hand”. In his opening remarks, Xi called on the US to be “partners, not rivals”. The subtle message by Xi was that China and the US were the principal global powers and shared responsibility for global peace and prosperity. Xi said he looked forward to working with Trump to steer the giant ship of China-US relations so as to make 2026 a landmark year, opening up a new chapter in bilateral relations. Much of the reporting was about China as an equal with President Trump saying, “The relationship between China and the USA is going better than ever before”.

With regard to Iran, the Chinese Foreign Ministry remarked that dialogue and negotiation was the only way forward, but the “use of force was a dead end”. Trump acknowledged China’s growing stature and he referred to  the US-China partnership as the “G2”, implicitly recognising China as Washington’s only true peer. He also suggested that he and Xi saw eye to eye on Iran, noting that Beijing agreed that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz should be free and that Tehran should never get a nuclear weapon.

Although Trump said, “We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries”, the visit did not produce many concrete results although the leaders discussed the formation of a Board of Trade and a Board of Investment to oversee commerce between the two countries.  Beijing agreed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft from the US and China’s Ministry of Commerce reported that the US had agreed to sell aircraft, aircraft engines and aircraft components to China.

Taiwan

Xi described Taiwan as “The most important issue in China-US relations” saying that if handled poorly this could lead to conflict. In 1971, the UN Gen Assembly adopted resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, affirming that the People’s Republic of China was the sole government representing the whole of China, including Taiwan and in 1979, the US acknowledged that there was only one China and declared that it would end formal political relations with Taiwan. Nevertheless, since the 1980s, the US has adopted a policy of “strategic ambiguity” in relation to Taiwan.

Trump warned Taiwan against declaring formal independence, but its Foreign Ministry  claimed that Taiwan was a “Sovereign and independent democratic nation, and was not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China”. Trump declined to discuss whether the US would defend Taiwan even though the US is ambiguous as to whether US forces would come to Taiwan’s aid. Further, Trump has delayed approval of an arms package for Taiwan worth US$14 billion.

The Taiwanese opposition KMT leader, Cheng Li-wun recently concluded a successful meeting with Chinese President Xi in Beijing and she is scheduled to visit the US in June 2026. She plans to present a new direction for cross-strait relations which she said would also align with US interests. Her trip is expected to last for about 10 days.

The Thucydides Trap

In a report published in CGTN on 15 May, drawing on views expressed by a range of world leaders and university professors from both China and the United States, Xi asked “Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations”. The Thucydides Trap refers to the theory that conflict often erupts when a rising power challenges an established power. However, according to Xi strategic competition between Beijing and Washington did not need to end in confrontation. It was that message in particular which shaped the tone of Trump’s visit.

The two leaders agreed to build a “Constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”. The emphasis was not on eliminating competition but on preventing rivalry from overwhelming their relationship. Both recognised that “stability itself had become a shared strategic interest” and they agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional issues.

Stability Without Confrontation

The US-China talks were seen as a significant step towards stabilising relations amid growing global uncertainty. The meeting aimed to send a signal of stability to the world and to demonstrate that competition between China and the US had not escalated into confrontation. Both leaders agreed to pursue win-win outcomes contributing to global stability and peace and both hailed a reset in relations, recognising that their shared desire for stable relations was an important change after years of antagonism.

Although the most pressing issues between the US and China remain unresolved, both sides portrayed their meeting as positive with Trump saying his trip had been “Very successful” while Xi described it as an “Historic landmark” visit. Trump concluded his visit by inviting Xi to visit the White House in September 2026 and Beijing confirmed that the Chinese leader would visit the US.

The Putin-Xi Summit

The tone of, and the reporting on the Xi-Putin summit could not have been more different. Putin and Xi Jinping have met many times including nine face-to-face meetings since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022. They signed a joint declaration on strengthening the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership and pledging to expand military, technological, trade, and economic cooperation. Russia and China also signed some 20 agreements.

Multipolarity

Xi and Putin adopted a declaration on global multipolarity, calling for a new model of international relations based on equality, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. For them, the greatest misunderstanding about multipolarity is the belief that it means the destruction of the West. However, in reality it may represent the only path towards Western renewal. Their summit symbolised the accelerating transition from a world organised around ideological uniformity to one grounded in civilisational plurality. They called on the international community to uphold key principles in promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world, building a new kind of international relations, including a more just and equitable global governance system.

Xi and Putin also committed to the building of a new global order aimed at challenging the dominance of the US. China and Russia issued two joint statements. One statement focused on strengthening strategic coordination, deepening good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation. The other pledged joint efforts to advance a more just and equitable world order.

Russia and China dominate the core of Eurasia, the largest landmass on Earth. Their shared border stretches further than any other in the world. Russia and China are also nuclear powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Xi underscored efforts to firmly safeguard the post-war international order and the authority of international law, as well as efforts to unite the Global South and guide the reform of the system of global governance in the right direction.

Conclusion

There was little of a contestable nature in the China-Russia summit, recognising that The China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation has reached its 25^th anniversary.

However, at the China-US summit there was much more at stake. Washington and Beijing were beginning to recognise that neither side could force the other into submission and in the new G2 world neither could dominate the other. While the US remains the world’s military power- house, China can push back in the Western Pacific so that conditions are in place for a more stable coexistence.

The US possesses powerful naval and air forces while China has significantly increased its missile, naval, air, and surveillance capabilities. If China were to blockade Taiwan the question would no longer be whether the US would choose to come to its defence, but whether it could do so at an acceptable cost. Each side is strong enough to deny the other’s ability to exert control.

China can restrict exports of rare earths and critical minerals which the US needs to produce semiconductors, advanced weapons and other high-tech products while the US can, and it has imposed sweeping semiconductor controls on China slowing China’s access to advanced computing chips.

Taiwan is the most difficult challenge. Beijing sees unification as a core element of its sovereignty while Washington sees Taiwan as a test of US credibility as a security guarantor. The Taiwanese President has recently described China as a “Foreign hostile force” but in April 2026 when Cheng, the KMT leader met with Xi she commented that both sides were “Chinese and one family”. The US and China could provide reassurances. Washington could reaffirm that it does not support Taiwan’s independence while Beijing could reiterate its commitment to a peaceful solution.

In their meeting, Trump treated Xi as the leader of a peer power, displaying respect, restraint and reciprocity. However, in America any move to create a more stable relationship with China is frequently attacked as “weakness and appeasement”. Nevertheless, Trump’s approach allowed him to move towards reconciliation with Beijing.

The summit did not resolve US-Chinese rivalry but it did allow for a new phase of coexistence involving a constructive relationship and strategic stability.

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