In recent days, 26 leading political figures travelled to China to watch a military parade, but it’s been claimed a photo from an earlier summit could “hurt Trump’s huge ego”
05:35 ET, 03 Sep 2025Updated 06:42 ET, 03 Sep 2025
It’s been claimed that Donald Trump is well aware of the power of a “Kodak moment”
(Image: Getty Images)
A photo from a recent Chinese summit could prove to be a “significant historical moment” but also “hurt Trump’s huge ego”, it has been claimed. In recent days, 26 leading political figures travelled to Beijing to witness a show of force as China’s President Xi Jinping held a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
In an event that also marked the end of Japanese aggression in China during the war, notable figures in attendance included the elusive Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a series of attention-grabbing images, Putin, whose country is under Western sanctions due to its ongoing war in Ukraine, could be seen rubbing shoulders with the hermit kingdom’s ruler and the US’ economic rival, Xi.
Yet, one commentator writes that for US President Donald Trump, who is well aware of the power of a “Kodak moment”, an image that surfaced at a summit in Tianjin could be the one that will hurt his “huge ego.”
Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Narendra Modi participated in a “warm three-way handshake”
(Image: Getty Images)
James Ball, political editor at The New World, wrote in the i Paper: “This week, there was finally a shot that might become a genuinely significant historical moment, so it must be all the more galling to Trump that he is not in it.
“Instead, the photo shows the leaders of Russia, China and India – Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Narendra Modi – sharing a warm three-way handshake.
“The moment, at a summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin, was clearly carefully stage-managed but the signal could not be clearer: there is a new alliance here, and neither America nor Europe is in it.”
James also spoke of a “bitter irony”, claiming that it may have been Trump who united these political giants. He writes that Trump’s controversial tariff policy (including his attempts to launch a trade war with China) has ultimately resulted in nations needing “more reliable” partners.
He notes that Trump’s seemingly hot-cold approach to Russia has encouraged China to interact with the nation “more openly”, and claimed that he’s offended India in two distinct ways, having “cosied” up to Pakistan and launched sanctions on India over its purchase of Russian oil.
James spoke of a “bitter irony”, claiming it may have been Trump who united these political giants(Image: AP)
It seems that these proceedings didn’t escape the attention of Trump, who accused Xi of conspiring with Putin and Kim, making his feelings known in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He wrote: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Despite these comments, Trump has previously refuted notions that the seemingly warm relations between the rival nations signal a problem for the US globally.
Speaking to the BBC, which asked Trump if he thought China and other nations were creating a coalition in opposition to the US, he said: “No. Not at all. China needs us.”
He added that he had a “very good relationship” with Xi, but insisted that China needed the US “much more” than it needed them, noting that he didn’t “see that at all”.