The Peking order: Xi meets Putin after Trump
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
4.5 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2026
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Within the space of a week Chinese president Xi Jinping has welcomed both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to Beijing. Our correspondent explains the significance of these consecutive meetings. How the Premier League got its kick – and became one of Britain’s most successful businesses. And, some relax on holiday, others relish adrenaline-fuelled activities.
Guests and host:
- Jeremy Page, chief China correspondent
- Sonny Loughran, Britain writer
- Caitlin Talbot, culture correspondent
- Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
- Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”
Topics covered:
- Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump
- Premier League, football, soccer
- Adrenaline holidays, darecations
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Economist. |
| 0:09.6 | Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. |
| 0:13.3 | I'm Rosie Bloor. |
| 0:14.5 | And I'm Jason Palmer. |
| 0:19.2 | Today on the show, how did the Premier League become so successful? |
| 0:24.0 | And why people choose holidays that are terrifying? |
| 0:31.6 | First up, though... |
| 0:46.2 | ... First up, though, It's definitely summit season. |
| 0:50.1 | Last week, fanfare for Donald Trump's visit to China. |
| 0:59.0 | Only days later, Vladimir Putin got in there too, and once again, the red carpet was rolled out in Beijing. |
| 1:11.4 | It's good business for the Chinese marching bands, all those singing children, and of course, the sumptuous banquets. |
| 1:20.5 | Putin was waved off yesterday with smiles, handshakes and waving flags. |
| 1:24.0 | But this isn't just about pomp for China. |
| 1:26.0 | There's politics too. |
| 1:32.9 | The timing of Putin's visit to Beijing really sends an unmistakable signal that China is not going to sacrifice its close relationship with Russia, just for the sake of better ties with the US. |
| 1:39.9 | Jeremy Page is a host of Drum Tower, our China podcast, and our chief China correspondent. |
| 1:46.3 | But it also shows how China is now moving much closer to the role Xi Jinping has always craved as the fulcrum of global geopolitics. |
| 1:58.6 | Let's fill in some context, Jeremy. Tell me about the relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. |
| 2:05.7 | Yeah, it's a remarkably close relationship. They've known each other for more than 13 years now. They've met something like 40 times. |
| 2:12.7 | And in the past, we've seen some unusual displays of camaraderie. They've swigged vodka together. |
| 2:18.7 | They've made pancakes. |
| 2:20.1 | They watched a hockey game. |
... |
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