Trump's Visit Overshadows Putin in China | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, days after President Trump's visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit. He met with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping on Monday, looking to boost energy and security ties. We break down what's on the table. Russia conducting nuclear weapons drills involving thousands of troops across the country. The exercises run from Tuesday through Thursday. Global leaders are meeting. What does it mean for the balance of power? An expert weighs in. The Philippine president weighs in on a potential Taiwan conflict, his remarks sparking anger in Beijing. And China is entering flood season, issuing a flood defense emergency response across As negotiations between the U.S. and Iran continue, China and Russia are making efforts to boost ties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday. Moscow and Beijing are looking to strengthen their partnership amid mounting pressure from the West over trade, security and the war in Ukraine. The visit comes just days after President Trump's high-profile trip to China. Russia is expected to push for new energy agreements with Beijing as it looks for reliable markets amid Western sanctions. Moscow and Beijing have expanded cooperation in trade, defense and energy since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, making China a key economic lifeline for Russia amid Western sanctions. Ahead of the trip, Putin praised what he called the unprecedented relationship between Russia and China. Today, Russia-China relations have reached a truly unprecedented level. Their special nature is reflected in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust, a commitment to pursuing win-win and equitable cooperation, conducting respectful dialogue, and supporting each other on matters affecting the core interests of both countries, including protection of sovereignty and state unity. One of the biggest issues expected to dominate talks is the long-delayed Power of Siberia II pipeline project. The pipeline, spanning over 1,600 miles long, would carry Russian natural gas to China. It comes as Moscow looks to China to replace European energy markets, which largely cut imports of Russian oil and gas after the war in Ukraine. While the two sides agreed last year to move forward with the project, pricing disputes have slowed progress. China is already the largest buyer of Russian oil, using China's currency as Russia faces U.S. sanctions on its oil exports. Beyond energy, there is also growing attention on the security side of the relationship. Reuters reports Chinese forces trained around 200 Russian military personnel in China late last year, with some later returning to fight in Ukraine. The reporting points to closer military cooperation between the two countries, despite China claiming it is neutral in the conflict. Russia's military has begun nuclear weapons drills on Tuesday, involving thousands of troops across the country. The exercises run through May 21st. They involve more than 65,000 soldiers and thousands of pieces of equipment. That includes over 200 missile launchers, along with aircraft, ships, submarines, and nuclear submarines. Officials say the drills will test ballistic and cruise missile launches. They'll also simulate the preparation and use of nuclear forces in response to what Moscow calls a threat of aggression. The timing comes as Ukraine intensifies drone attacks and President Vladimir Putin prepares to travel to China. What's the message Beijing hopes to send with the Putin visit days after hosting President Trump? Joining us now is Gregory Copley, President of the International Strategic Studies Association. Gregory Copley, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on the show. Wonderful to be back with you, Tiffany. Now, Xi Jinping is greeting Russia's Putin. This is just days after he was meeting with President Trump. What do you make of the timing and the optics of this visit? Well, it's clear that this was going to happen. I mean, let's face it, they do have an alliance of necessity between Moscow and Beijing. They have to coordinate there. And the Trump state visit was a tryout, in a sense, to see whether Xi Jinping could resuscitate his prestige within the PRC and his survival within the civil war, which is still underway within the Chinese Communist Party leadership. What's interesting is that a visit by President Putin, number one ally ostensibly of the People's Republic of China, is very low-key compared to the cow-tally which Xi Jinping gave to President Trump on the state visit. It was clear that this state visit by President Trump was meant to do something for Xi Jinping's prestige within the Communist Party of China and within the Chinese electorate. It was designed to show that there was some unity in the leadership of the CPP, as far as the domestic audience was concerned, and also that Xi Jinping was the supreme host and in charge of everything. However, what came about as a result of it was that Putin, the great ally, is treated as the guy next door and of no importance. And Trump was treated like a conquering hero and he came in and was very gracious about it as Xi was gracious about the hosting. But Trump was able to show disregard for Xi Jinping, was able to make some concessions, there were minor deals which were made, nothing which changed the overarching trajectory of the strategic balance. But as Trump left, it was clear he was leaving China in the background. He had all of the press and the staffers dump their gifts from the Chinese into bins at the airport. I mean, this was a very, very pointed and very rude show of disregard, and that was deliberate. I mean, there was no question that it was not just about making sure there were no Chinese censors or microphones planted in any of the gifts, it was about showing disrespect. And subsequently President Trump spoke rather condescendingly about Xi Jinping and about China to indicate that, look, we're not seeing the Thucydides trap, we're not seeing China as a rising power, we're seeing China as it is, as the declining power, rapidly declining power, and we're seeing the United States as the, once again, ascending power. I want to tap into that and expand in terms of geopolitics because, of course, Venezuela, Iran ongoing, and Cuba on the horizon, many are seeing that as a way to weaken communist China ultimately. And of course, right now with Russia's Putin in China, they did strike that no limits partnership right before the Russia-Ukraine invasion years ago. And there's a lot of reporting on how Russia is kind of reliant or needs China when it comes to energy or trade because of, say, sanctions or, you know, from the EU specifically after the Russia invasion of Ukraine. And some are calling Russia the junior partner to China, which I'm sure Russia does not appreciate. Has the president, President Trump, been doing anything to drive a wedge between that no limits partnership of Russia and China? Well, clearly the visit was the essence of a wedge between the Sino-Russian relationship. Just as Nixon undertook his vision in 1972, he pulled China away from Russia. And what President Trump has done is the same thing again. He is weaning to a degree the PRC off Russian supplies of food and possibly energy. He's essentially promised that Beijing can get some energy from the United States. He's got the PRC to agree to larger or revived, shall we say, food imports from the United States, particularly soybeans. And he's offered the prospect that the Persian Gulf would soon be available again for the export of oil and gas to the People's Republic of China, not necessarily specifically Iran, although that could be something in the future, depending on how Iran survives the conflict. But basically, we've got that Sino-Russian split working as it did in 1972. The question is, can the U.S. now exploit that? After 1972's visit by Nixon, the Soviet Communist Party spent all of its energy to get rid of Nixon immediately because he had done such damage to them by creating the Sino-Soviet split. And they got rid of Nixon. And that meant that Carter and others who followed basically didn't do the second step which Nixon was going to do, which was going to be to divide and conquer both the Soviet Union and the PRC. And so, the PRC was left to recover. Now, I think President Trump is going for the long-term peak weakening of the People's Republic of China, pull it away from Russia. Russia is not considered a short, medium, perhaps even a long-term global threat to the United States at this point. So, essentially, the U.S. is in a better position now with this visit than it was with the 1972 Nixon visit because Nixon was so comprehensively destroyed after that visit. Taking into that with, of course, the midterms coming up, what would a win look like for President Trump, whether that's with Iran or that long game with China? Well, I think the President is moving very rapidly towards that. The midterms have always been a toss-up for any incumbent president to be able to retain control of both the House and the Senate. But what's happening now is that despite the fact that the Iran conflict is taking longer than the President would have liked, and I think that was due to a lack of really comprehensive planning, nonetheless, the President is in a position to, or the Republican Party is in a better position to weather the midterms than was thought possible even six months ago. It will certainly be important for President Trump to retain the House and the Senate if possible because there's so much he needs to do. If he doesn't retain control of the House, he will obviously struggle forward and continue to do as much by executive authority, executive order as possible. Definitely a lot to watch here. Gregory Kopley, as always, thank you so much for your time. Great to be with you. Thank you. The Philippines president has angered China. Gordon and Marcos Jr. said on Monday that the Philippines would likely be drawn into any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the island. So how far is the Philippines from Taiwan? At their nearest points, the southernmost place of Taiwan and the northernmost islands of the Philippines are only about 60 miles apart. In an interview with Japanese media on Monday, Marcos also noted that nearly 200,000 Filipinos are living in Taiwan. Beijing pushed back on Marcos' remarks. It said geographic proximity and a large migrant population should not be used as a reason to, in Beijing's words, interfere in another country's internal affairs. Communist China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory and considers all issues related to Taiwan as internal affairs, although it has never ruled Taiwan. Marcos' remarks come ahead of his visit to Japan next week. He's expected to discuss security cooperation with Japanese Prime Minister Senai Takeichi. Takeichi angered Beijing last year after saying Japan could be drawn into a conflict between China and Taiwan, meaning Tokyo might aid Taiwan if Beijing attacks the island. The remarks drew a furious response from Beijing. Both Japan and the Philippines are major U.S. allies in Asia. Earlier this month, the U.S., Japan, the Philippines and other allies held joint military drills. It was the first time since World War II that Japan deployed combat troops to the Philippines. The Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally. It has allowed the deployment of U.S. missile systems on its territory near Taiwan and also granted U.S. forces access to several military bases. Taiwan says it is cautiously optimistic about future U.S. arms sales. The comments come after President Trump said he is still considering whether to approve a new weapons package for the island. At the same time, it also implies that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait constitute a core interest of the United States. Arms sales are an important counterbalancing forces for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Ko says discussions on arms sales are ongoing. He agreed that maintaining the weapons channel is in line with U.S. interests. The comments come amid renewed concern in Taipei following President Trump's recent with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping. Taiwan's premier today saying that China is the greatest source of regional unease and instability to its ongoing military activities. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported today that the Chinese military was again conducting exercises near the island. Coming up, China is entering flood season, issuing a flood defense emergency response across seven southern provinces. Is it illegal to hold vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre? A Hong Kong court hears final arguments from two organizers. And Shenzhen Performing Arts has completed its 20th anniversary tour. What politicians around the world are saying about this year's performance. This is, I think, my fourth time coming here and it is one of the most beautiful performances that I've ever seen. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. China is entering flood season. It has launched a level four flood defense emergency response across seven southern provinces. This is the lowest of the four levels. The measure was issued on Tuesday as relentless downpours continue to batter the region. Starting over the weekend and continuing into the present, heavy rain has relentlessly hit southern China. Total rainfall has reached nearly 12 inches. The extreme weather has left a trail of destruction, submerging entire villages, trapping residents and fueling public anger over inadequate infrastructure. Yi Guizhou Province social media footage has captured harrowing scenes of vehicles floating through flooded streets in Songhe Township. Freedom in Hong Kong diminishing. A Hong Kong court heard final arguments on Monday. The case involves a national security trial for two organizers of large vigils in Hong Kong commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. For decades, Hong Kong was the only place under Chinese sovereignty where large public commemorations of the crackdown were held. The vigils were banned in 2020 and the two former organizers were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The draconian law virtually stifled the city's pro-democracy movement. Chao Hongtang and Li Chukyan are two former leaders of the Hong Kong alliance in support of patriotic democratic movements of China. They have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison. Shenzhen Performing Arts has wrapped up performances around the world, successfully completing its 20th anniversary tour. NTD is a media sponsor for Shenzhen and has been covering audience reactions since 2006. Let's take a look at what politicians around the world are saying about this year's performance. Shenzhen Performing Arts has concluded its 2026 world tour, performing in front of millions of audience members across 200 cities in 20 countries. Throughout the tour, the company was honored by dozens of politicians and lawmakers, including several members of Congress such as Andrew Garbarino, Nicole Malliotakis, Patrick Ryan, and Elise Stefanik, who issued proclamations and letters recognizing Shenzhen's accomplishments. Congressman Garbarino also presented the company with a special congressional recognition certificate, honoring what he called its outstanding and invaluable service to the community. Lieutenant Governor of Nevada Stavros Anthony also congratulated Shenzhen on March 5 with a certificate recognizing their efforts and dedication to the arts. This is, I think, my fourth time coming here and it is one of the most beautiful performances that I've ever seen. And just congratulations to the production people, the back room people, the stage people, and all the artists and dancers and singers. They are some of the best in the world and I'm really proud to have them here in Las Vegas, Nevada. And on April 16 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriato presented the Pennsylvania Freedom Medal to age-sharing artists in recognition of their dedication to defending freedom and virtue and called for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's suppression of faith. What an amazing presentation. And I think it shows us how important it is to preserve culture and freedom. And the show really brought out how important and rich Chinese history is. But freedom has to be secured. It's interesting to me that the regime in China right now does not want to remember its history. 5,000 years of amazing history. And that's really heartbreaking to me. So thank you for being a light in the darkness there and preserving that beautiful part of Chinese history and culture. Over in Europe, Shang dazzled officials in the UK, including the Lord Mayors of Oxford and Swansea. Lawmakers in Italy, Spain, and Germany also commented on the beauty and synchronization of the performers. It's not just an entertaining afternoon. It actually sends you away thinking, well, you know, I think there are more good people in the world than bad. And that's a good thing. It blew me away. Absolutely blew me away. I mean, the grace and the story and the way that the digital, the story was digitalized as well. And it brought it all when it was so clever. But the dancers, they're so graceful. Their feet were like feathers on the floor. The use of color, the emphasis on music and the coordination of movements, each is a tiny tile in a vast mosaic. Together, they allow us to experience spiritual enlightenment. At certain moments in the theater, one can truly sense the presence of the divine. That is precisely the feeling Shen Yun brings. It was beautiful, really, from beginning to end. The musical accompaniment was excellent. The costumes, the dance performance, the coordination between the dancers and the everything fit together perfectly. It was truly a complete success overall. Shen Yun features eight equally large companies, with 500 world-class artists performing in all new production every year. Politicians from Argentina praise Shen Yun's beauty and grace after watching the show in Buenos Aires. I believe Shen Yun is a world-class international performance, suitable for any global stage. I think any global stage would be graced by a show like this, dazzling both the audience and the stage. I think it's fabulous. Shen Yun will be making a return to Toronto, Canada on June 25 with five new performances after a string of cancellations in the city earlier this year. NTD News, New York. That's all for today's China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. If you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at chinainfocusintd.com. We'd love to hear from you. For on-the-clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.