DAVOS, Switzerland, 22 January (H.S.): US President Donald Trump extolled his personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Wednesday's World Economic Forum address, lauding Xi as an incredible man who has accomplished amazing feats and commands universal respect, despite pandemic frictions he once dubbed the China virus before relenting at Xi's behest.

Trump affirmed enduring affinity—I've always had a very good relationship with President Xi and with President Putin—while unveiling an April 2026 China itinerary following their October call, reciprocated by Xi's forthcoming US state visit, alongside prospective Group of Twenty and APEC sidelines encounters in Doral, Florida, and Shenzhen.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had forecasted four summits this year, building on Trump's November characterisation of bilateral ties as extremely strong.

The disclosures, amid Greenland parleys and tariff suspensions, signal Trump's transactional multilateralism, contrasting European rebukes as he balances Arctic security pacts with Beijing engagement.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar