PUTIN EXPECTED TO VISIT CHINA ON MAY 20 - SCMP

@FirstSquawk It's standard protocol for Xi to greet world leaders in the great hall of the people but it would be such a power move if he made an exception and met Putin at the airport.

@FirstSquawk XI will meet Putin at the airport just so he can humiliate Trump further. 😳

@FirstSquawk XI and Putin will bitch about Trump

@FirstSquawk Interesting 🤔

@FirstSquawk China's hosting a Russia visit right now. That's the angle — not some grand realignment, but Xi signaling that decoupling from the West works fine when you've got an energy partner desperate to sell

@FirstSquawk China playing both sides perfectly — Trump one day, Putin the next. Masterclass in strategic hedging.

Trump just left Beijing yesterday. Putin arrives on May 20. Back-to-back superpower summits—first time China has hosted both US and Russian leaders in the same month outside a multilateral setting. China isn't balancing. It's pivoting. Xi sat with Trump to stabilize trade and push for a US exit from the Iran war. Then Putin lands days later to lock in energy supplies (Russia is now one of China's largest oil and gas suppliers), deepen sanctions-resistance mechanisms, and discuss AI and high-tech cooperation. Hormuz is still blocked. Ukraine is still grinding. Xi just signaled Beijing's long game—anchor both powers, tilt toward none, and shape the multipolar order on its own terms.

@FirstSquawk Xi is very busy lately 😆