Analysts tip a stronger hand for China ahead of Xi-Trump summit in Washington

When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the second part of a series, Fan Chen looks at Beijing’s stronger position going into the high-stakes visit.Beijing is poised to begin this week’s summit with Washington from a position of strength, bolstered by a flurry of recent diplomatic outreach.Chinese confidence could be further reinforced by the United States’ latest push to make headway on conflicts in Ukraine and Iran – wars that observers say Washington may need Beijing’s cooperation to help resolve – even if a near-term truce remains unlikely.Just weeks before his Washington trip, Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on one of his most intense overseas itineraries, paying a state visit to Egypt after wrapping up the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.Xi also attended the Brics summit in New Delhi last weekend, marking his first trip to India in seven years. In his address, the Chinese president took a veiled swipe at US policies and urged the bloc’s members to deepen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence.Through a joint declaration, the two-day summit also forged a united front against US tariffs, sanctions and “America first” policies – all without naming Washington.Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) poses for a group photo with fellow leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states in Kyrgyzstan on September 1. Photo: XinhuaWu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, noted that Beijing’s diplomatic blitz strengthened its hand ahead of the second US-China summit of the year.