US President Donald Trump’s abrupt pivot to Russia will remould Moscow’s ties with China but is unlikely to prise apart its flourishing partnership with Beijing, analysts say.Since taking office last month, the US president has sought to unravel three years of Western opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, sidelining Kyiv and European allies while pushing a deal to end the war on terms purportedly favourable to Moscow.These overtures will have repercussions for China too, which has drawn Russia deeper into its orbit as its northern neighbour has endured economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation from the West.Russian “dependence on China will automatically be mitigated” once it improves its international standing, said Yun Sun from the US-based Stimson Center, a non-partisan think tank.”Russia traditionally is known for diplomatic manoeuvre and strategic manipulation. It was deprived of that space and ability during the Ukraine war, but once Russia improves relations with the US, the space will open up,” she said.Beijing has presented itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict, urging peace talks while refusing to condemn the invasion and boosting economic, military and political ties with Moscow. That stance was criticised by the previous US administration and Kyiv’s other allies, which urged Beijing to take a more active role and use its influence over Russia to end the war.  Trump’s taking the lead on talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin has — at least for the moment — taken that focus off Beijing as a potential mediator.- ‘Reverse Nixon’? -Trump’s about-face has drawn comparisons with another historic act of high-wire diplomacy, with some foreign policy experts dubbing the move a “reverse Nixon” moment.In 1972, then-US president Richard Nixon paid a shock visit to China, paving the way towards full diplomatic recognition and gaining leverage over a wrongfooted Soviet Union.By that same logic, a shock rapprochement between Trump and Putin could achieve the opposite, bringing Russia in from the cold while undermining its bond with Beijing.But the apparent parallels are a “misreading of history”, said Elizabeth Wishnick from Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.In Nixon’s time, China was “weak, isolated” and fearful of war with the Soviet Union. These days it is a global power with a huge economy and military, and has strong ties with Moscow.Alexander Gabuev, director of the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Russia “will definitely portray to Trump that they want to have space and distance from China… and not to be China’s junior partner”.However, Moscow sees the Chinese leadership as a consistent “towering presence”, in contrast to Trump at the whim of the US election cycle, he told AFP. “Why would they rock the boat with China, given their increased dependency, overlapping economic structures, and strategic interests to dislodge the United States as a global hegemon?” he added.Sun, of the Stimson Center, agreed that the United States would be unable to “‘break’ the Russia-China relationship, which has endogenous logic and strength”.”But Washington is able to tamper with the quality and the level of cooperation within that relationship,” she said.- Post-war prospects -China, Russia and the United States are inextricably interconnected as “the three main forces of world security and multipolarisation”, Wang Yiwei from the Renmin University of China told AFP. Beijing and Moscow appeared to reinforce their ties this week as President Xi Jinping and Putin held a phone call that coincided with the third anniversary of the Ukraine conflict.Their conversation was followed by top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu landing in Beijing on Friday — his second to China in the past three months, according to Russian media.Meanwhile, the United States and Ukraine are edging closer to a minerals deal that Kyiv hopes will bring future security guarantees from Washington after the war’s conclusion.For China, “a scenario where Russia was able to keep its territorial gains at Ukraine’s expense and still be able to rejoin the international community would be optimal”, Wishnick said.Such an outcome would also “encourage Chinese leaders to pursue their own territorial annexations with potential impunity”, she added in apparent reference to Beijing’s claims to self-ruled Taiwan.Zhao Long, from Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said China could play a practical role in ending the conflict, such as by pushing for dialogue among all stakeholders and even “providing a platform for… negotiations”.Beijing could also rally countries to explore peacekeeping operations in post-war Ukraine and explore opportunities to help rebuild the country’s destroyed infrastructure, “giving play to the comparative advantages of Chinese enterprises”, he said.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports while moving ahead with levies on Canada and Mexico next week, citing “unacceptable” drug smuggling.Markets opening in Asia on Friday tracked losses across the world from the previous day, as the Republican’s latest comments fanned fears of a global trade war. Trump had announced — then halted — sweeping 25 percent levies on Canadian and Mexican imports this month over illegal immigration and deadly fentanyl, with Canadian energy to face a lower rate. But the month-long pause ends Tuesday.Following reporters’ questions on whether he planned to proceed on the tariffs next week, Trump wrote on social media Thursday that until the problem of fentanyl stops “or is seriously limited,” the proposed levies will happen as scheduled.”China will likewise be charged an additional 10 percent Tariff on that date,” he added, referring to March 4.Earlier this month, Trump imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff hike on imports from China, prompting Beijing to retaliate.A US official confirmed to AFP that the new 10 percent levy adds to the existing one over fentanyl, saying that there has been “insufficient progress” on the drug front.The official added that Washington had to act against all three countries in order to tackle the fentanyl issue.On Thursday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concerns over Washington’s earlier 10 percent tariff.”China firmly opposes this and has taken corresponding countermeasures,” Wang said in a letter to newly confirmed US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.China’s leadership will convene next week to hammer out plans to shield its economy from Trump’s threats.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday said she hoped to speak with Trump to avoid being hit by his threatened tariffs.A high-level Mexican delegation is in Washington in search of an agreement.And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials are working around the clock to avert US levies but would have an “immediate” response if measures were imposed next week.Trudeau has repeatedly stressed that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.Trump’s threats have sent shivers through major exporter countries. Asian markets were all well in the red early Friday, with Tokyo briefly shedding three percent.- Reciprocal tariffs -Besides levies over fentanyl, Trump added on Truth Social that an April 2 date for so-called reciprocal tariffs “will remain in full force and effect.”These will be tailored to each US trading partner, with details to come after government agencies complete studies that Trump has called for on trade issues.In his letter to Greer, Wang noted that Trump has called for many trade investigations “aimed at China” and urged both sides to resolve their differences via dialogue.Beijing has pushed back against US fentanyl concerns, saying Washington has to solve the issue itself rather than taking aim at other countries with levies.Rather than the drugs being supplied directly to the United States, a Congressional Research Service report noted last year that US-bound fentanyl appears to be made in Mexico using chemical precursors from China.While some precursors face international controls, others may be made and exported legally from countries like China.In early February, China’s foreign ministry warned that fresh tariffs could hurt counternarcotics cooperation.

Andrew Tate, a right-wing influencer charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania, arrived in the United States on Thursday — the first time he has been out of the eastern European country since his 2022 arrest.Romanian prosecutors allege that self-declared misogynist Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.The brothers traveled to Florida together on a private jet, their lawyer Ioan Gilga told CNN — but received a frosty reception just before landing as state authorities said they were not welcome. The Tates have not stated publicly the purpose of this trip. “We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” said Andrew Tate after arriving in Fort Lauderdale. “There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet. We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.”The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationality and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24 and a no-show could lead to “preventive arrest.”Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate case, voiced concern last week that the US government might push Romania to ease the Tates’ travel restrictions and let them escape.Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference earlier in February.But Trump denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration — or help in bringing them to Florida.”I know nothing about that. I don’t know — you’re saying he’s on a plane right now? Yeah, I just know nothing about it. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know,” he told reporters when asked about the visit.Justice Minister Radu Marinescu told AFP on Thursday he was “not aware of any pressure from anyone” and had “not received any kind of request from the US authorities.”A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who was visiting Trump in Washington — declined to comment on the situation or whether the UK wanted to see Tate extradited to Britain.”There’s an English element here so obviously it’s important justice is done and human trafficking is obviously to my mind a security risk,” said Starmer, in a brief response to a journalist’s question at the White House.A Romanian court has already granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.- Not welcome -In a joint statement on Thursday, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.” The women are bringing a civil case in the UK against Tate, accusing him of rape and coercive control between 2013 and 2016.Matthew Jury, their lawyer, said Starmer should raise the issue “on behalf of the many British women who Tate is alleged to have raped and sexually assaulted who may now be denied justice.”On Thursday, a Romanian court granted the Tate brothers’ appeal to lift the seizure of their assets — properties, vehicles, bank accounts and company shares, their PR team said.Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the UK.He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the UK’s “Big Brother” reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.Last year, the Tates were sentenced in a tax fraud case in Britain.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said before the brothers landed that the state was not involved in organizing their trip, did not welcome them and had been exploring legal options to prevent the visit.”Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” he told a news conference.