Chinese Summit Diplomacy, with Dr Andrew Scobell

China’s rapid burst of high‑level diplomacy — hosting President Trump and President Putin before Xi Jinping’s rare trip to Pyongyang — offered a revealing window into Beijing’s strategic priorities. In the lead-up to the expected meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, we look back at earlier summits between China and it's allies. Dr. Andrew Scobell explains why the sequencing of these meetings matters and why U.S.–China summit readouts diverged so sharply. He also assesses the foundations of trust in the China–Russia relationship, the growing asymmetry between Moscow and Beijing, and the prospects for deeper China–North Korea cooperation as Xi seeks greater influence in Pyongyang.