Following Wagner PMC chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted uprising, it was incumbent on the Russian leader to project an image of strength in his first appearance on the world stage since the event.
Biden’s casting of the Chinese leader in the role runs the risk of hobbling any progress Secretary of State Antony Blinken might have made in restoring trust between the two superpowers.
Before meeting with the Chinese president, Lula made an impassioned plea for the replacement of the U.S. dollar with other currencies for use in international trade.
In Beijing, French President Macron and European Commission President von der Leyen tried in vain to sway Beijing into siding with the collective West over Ukraine.
Against a widening EU schism and pressure from Washington to minimise ties, von der Leyen articulated a cautious approach to future EU-Chinese relations.
The Chinese president is the only head of state of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council who has yet to make the journey to Kyiv.
