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Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged former US president Donald Trump to be cautious about US weapons transfers to Taiwan during a terse phone call that also covered trade, energy and regional security. The limited Xinhua readout and the broader pattern of diplomatic outreach suggest the exchange functioned mainly as a strategic signal within a managed communications posture rather than as a forum for binding agreements.

Russia and China used a scheduled video call to highlight expanding economic links and closer diplomatic alignment, portraying the relationship as a stabilizing axis amid global tensions. The conversation was principally signaling — reinforcing coordination on trade, energy and technology — even as Beijing’s parallel, pragmatic re‑engagement with Western capitals suggests the partnership is important but strategically hedged.

Former President Donald Trump publicly warned the UK against moves he described as risky after Keir Starmer met Xi Jinping, amplifying transatlantic scrutiny of London’s China outreach. Starmer, travelling with a large business delegation, frames his approach as strategic autonomy — balancing commercial opportunities in services and low‑carbon tech with guardrails on security and influence.

President Trump will travel to Beijing for a three-day meeting with Xi Jinping at the end of March. The trip arrives right after a major court ruling on U.S. export tariffs, injecting fresh uncertainty into efforts to extend last year’s trade truce and complicating talks over Taiwan.

Indian officials invested months of discreet, high‑level engagement with the Trump administration to secure a bilateral U.S. trade understanding that includes a headline tariff cut and large procurement pledges. The effort married calibrated concessions and access to senior White House intermediaries with broader Indian hedging across partners, producing fast results but leaving implementation and verification as the pivotal next steps.

Former President Donald Trump publicly indicated he would not oppose Chinese or Indian investments in Venezuela’s petroleum industry, framing such capital as potentially beneficial for output and global energy supplies. His remarks add rhetorical cover for Asian investors but stop short of policy changes — concrete investment will hinge on legal reforms, sanctions relief, and financial mechanisms that are still unresolved.
A cluster of high-level visits and new bilateral pacts — including the UK prime minister’s business-led trip to Beijing, an upgraded EU‑Vietnam strategic partnership and a broad EU‑India trade agreement — coincide with tactical tariff easings and market‑access measures that lower near‑term barriers for Chinese exporters. The moves create commercial space Beijing can exploit while core strategic frictions over technology, subsidies and supply‑chain dependence remain active and likely to reappear in future negotiations.

President Trump said he is discussing possible arms transfers for Taiwan with Xi Jinping and expects to decide soon, a move that could shift U.S. defense posture in the Taiwan Strait and elevate diplomatic tensions. Separately, Taipei’s defense minister says Washington has agreed to accelerate delivery timetables for already‑approved weaponry, compressing operational timelines and raising political, fiscal and supply‑chain pressures.