Chinese leader Xi Jinping's back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin looked similar, but revealed how different China's relationship is with the two countries.
During Trump's visit, China sought to stabilize ties with the US, while Putin's trip served to deepen its strategic partnership with Russia.
Xi emphasized ceremonial hospitality during Trump's visit, including a rare tour of Zhongnanhai, while with Putin, he switched to substance, reaffirming the friendship treaty and signing new energy deals.
The two visits began with their length, with Trump staying for three days and Putin's visit lasting two.
The main contrast between the two summits was in their messaging, with Xi focusing on maintaining a stable relationship with the US and Putin seeking to reinforce and deepen a longstanding partnership with China.
China and Russia reached more than 40 cooperation agreements, while Trump and Xi did not sign a joint declaration or oversee the signing of any agreements publicly during the visit.
The biggest surprise from the Xi-Putin meetings was that no formal deal was signed for the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline plan, which could send gas from Russia to China through Mongolia.
Putin and Trump have different stances on Taiwan, with Moscow closely aligned with Beijing and the US maintaining an intentionally ambiguous stance on the island.
