Xi shine as e host Putin days afta Trump visit

Children wey dey happy - check. Military honour guard – check. Cannon fire and marching band - check.

Di way dem welcome Vladimir Putin outside di Great Hall of di People na almost di same reception dem do for Donald Trump last week.

Two ogbonge presidential visits, just days apart, na exactly di image Xi Jinping want to show di world: im dey tok ro evribody but im no dey tied to anybody.

For China, dis visits na proof say sake of dia massive economy and new-found diplomatic clout all roads dey face Beijing now.

"Di new era of world affairs no dey dey centred around di West," na wetin Samir Puri from Kings College London tok.

"E get plenti power wey China get on di world stage, but China no dey necessarily use am in di most direct form to settle kasala, instead China style na to try to use dia stature in a more gradual sense."

Di view dey almost di same - Xi dey confident as im shine wen im host two ogbonge presidents. But di politics wey dey drive di two visit wey dey different.

Putin, bin don visit China more dan 20 times, and e be like say e get close personal relationship wit Xi. But di war for Ukraine and Western sanctions don make am to lean heavily on Beijing, wey be Russian ogbonge trading partner now and na dia biggest customer for oil and gas.

Di partnership no dey equal for some time now, and dem reinforce am again on Tuesday.

Di tok-tok end wit 20-plus agreements on trade and tech, but no approval yet for di Russian gas pipeline wey Putin bin don dey push for years. wey bin stop.

One long joint statement bin no also bring any major breakthrough.

"Both China and Russia need each oda, but Russia clearly needs China more dan bifor for di global stage,"na wetin Dr Zheng Runyu, from di Centre for Russian Studies for East China Normal University in Shanghai tok

"Wit di international environment today, deep co-operation wit China dey extremely important for Russia to deal wit many of dia current challenges."

E be like say di Chinese leader get strong hand as im negotiate wit di US president too.

Stronger trade relationships wit di rest of di world and China dominance for rare earth minerals and advanced manufacturing don give am leverage.

Beijing don see diasef for di same level wit Washington as Trump no dey predictable.

Wit tok-tok wey im do wit both Trump and Putin, Xi bin face leaders wey dey inside costly wars wey dey drag on for longer dan pipo bin expect . For Trump, di war for di Middle East don turn into global crisis wey don affect im approval ratings back home.

For Putin, di invasion of Ukraine, wey don dey enta im fifth year now, don cut Russia comot from odas and e don affect im own pipo well-well.

For both cases, e aslo show say China get di power to set di tone and di terms of how e want to engage for di global stage.

Xi Chinese dream

Dis na remarkable turnaround for a kontri, wey just five years ago, bin look like say dem bin wan cut dem out sake of diplomatic isolation.

Dem bin close dia borders sake of pandemic wey president Trump bin label "Chinese virus" dat time.

Relations wit di West bin dey fall sharply sake of di rise of so-called "wolf warrior" diplomacy, wia Chinese diplomats and state media bin use aggressive tori to make Western critics close dia mouth.

International criticism over serious human rights abuses for Xinjiang bin dey increase, and Beijing control over Hong Kong wey dey increase too, plus Western govments wey bin impose sanctions and export controls on Chinese goods. China respond wit counter measures.

And yet, five years afta, China don reposition diasef as di centre for global diplomacy and trade wey di world no go fit do without.

Instead of China to stay as a problem wey di world bin dey try to manage, China don becom power to help pipo do tok-tok.

Beijing don moderate dia diplomatic style as dem likely recognised uncomfortable realities. Dia economic slowdown mean say dem needs more foreign investment and trade, wey require stable ties.

Dia excessive confrontation bin dey also drive important trading partners for di region, like South Korea, di Philippines and Vietnam wey dey closer to Washington.

But di timing also dey important. Ever since di US elect Donald Trump, China don repair dia ties wit Australia, Canada and di UK - all key US allies.

World leaders, including di ones from Canada, di UK and Germany, don waka ontop Beijing red carpet to do deals wit di world second largest economy.

For di last decade Xi don promise im pipo go work towards "di great rejuvenation of di Chinese nation" and last week bin carry incredible piece of domestic propaganda: di Chinese leader bin look like di man evribody bin wan meet.

But dis visit also highlights di limits of China diplomatic power.

A diplomatic tightrope

Xi bin only mention one war - and na di kasala for di Middle East.

Im tell Putin say a complete end to di war for Iran get "utmost urgency", im no make any reference to Russia invasion of Ukraine.

Xi and Putin bin call out "ogbonge military strikes against oda kontris, di hypocritical use of negotiations as cover for preparing such strikes, di assassination of leaders of sovereign states, di destabilisation of di domestic political situation for dis kontris and di provocation of regime change, and di serious kidnapping of national leaders for trial".

Dis mata dem bin dey serious and e fit get consequences beyond di Great Hall of di People.

As China call for di end to conflicts elsewhere, and take aim for US actions, di silence on Ukraine, wia hundreds of thousand don kpai, go raise questions for Europe about how far Beijing dey willing, or able, to act as a genuinely equal‑handed global player.

Beijing don try to maintain a neutral stance for di war for Ukraine, although both di US and Europe bin dey tell China to cut di economic lifeline wey e dey give Moscow.

But dem dey fear to lose ogbonge partner if Putin lose di war. And any kasala wey hapun to dia big neighbour go concern dem.

"Obviously, Xi Jinping fit take di easier way out and tok notin about am," na wetin Samir Puri. "Of course, e mean say - Russia carry on wit your invasion.

"If any discussion about wetin a ceasefire or post-war future might look like dem neav tok about am, I go dey surprised. I bin tink say na veri big issue as to weda China want to use dia influence wit regards to Russia war for Ukraine."

Di opposite be say, di war for Iran dey spoil Chinese interests. Beijing get stockpiles of oil, but no end in sight to di crisis wey don block di Strait of Hormuz.

To dey call for di end of one war and not di end of di oda dey affect Xi credibility as China dey try to take one more central role for di world stage.

E dey also put relations wit Europe at risk at a time wen Beijing dey seek to strengthen dos ties to shore up dia export-reliant economy.

However to strike di last week of high-level diplomacy looks, Xi still get tall task ahead of him becos China authoritarian leadership, wey dey kontinu to grow stronger under Xi, still dey controversial and many pipo no trust am.