From the Beijing Great Hall’s fancy ceiling to Elon Musk’s son’s bag, little details stole the spotlight in Xi’s summit with Trump and Putin
2-MIN READ2-MINSCMPPublished: 2:30pm, 22 May 2026The presidents of the United States and Russia visited Beijing on separate trips in May to meet with President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit meetings in Beijing. Here are some of the highlights of our coverage, taking you behind the headlines and beyond the summit stages to show the politics, symbolism and moments that shaped Xi’s meetings with Trump and Putin. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. Vodka, bullet train and boat rides: how Xi and Putin built up a personal rapportChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, pictured at last year’s Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Photo: EPAOver the years, their rapport has been defined not only by summits and state visits, but also a growing catalogue of highly personal rituals involving food, birthday celebrations, sports events, boat rides and lakeside tea.
