Foe Shizzle

Trump’s remarkably divisive second tenure in the White House could ultimately be remembered for unity. He’s united America’s old enemies and new foes. China’s Xi Redraws Geopolitical Map With Embrace of Putin, Modi. “Cameras captured the Chinese leader in a rare, unscripted huddle on Monday with Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi — his most powerful partners in resisting America on the world stage — at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. At one point, Xi held the hand of his Indian counterpart, as the three men laughed casually, a striking scene given just months earlier New Delhi and Beijing were seen as rivals. The images were a victory for Xi’s decade-long political project to build an alternative to the US-led world order. Hours after the trio gathered at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization event, Beijing signed a major gas pipeline deal with Moscow — rebuking Trump’s efforts to use tariffs to prise India and China away from Russian energy purchases.” (What kind of deranged leader would welcome Putin into his country and give him the red carpet treatment at a time like this? Oh wait…)

+ “Their meeting came on the eve of a military parade to be held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event is intended as an elaborate display of China’s military might and expanding global influence at a time when President Trump’s tariffs are alienating U.S. allies and rivals alike. More than two dozen leaders are expected to attend the parade, including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.” NYT (Gift Article): Putin and Xi Invoke Wartime Unity as They Hail Ties in Beijing.