Trump heads to China weakened as Xi gains leverage ahead of summit

US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest part of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we look at how Trump’s weakened hand could tilt summit talks.When next week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was first proposed, Trump was riding relatively high and Xi was holding steady against his impetuous counterpart.Six months later, Trump heads to Beijing politically dented and militarily overextended, factors that diplomacy experts, China analysts and former government officials say will shape the meeting’s tenor.