President Donald Trump’s rapprochement with Russia has some experts suggesting he might be trying to do a “reverse Nixon” and isolate Beijing by courting Moscow.

Beijing said Tuesday its defence spending was "entirely necessary" after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed a suggestion that the US, Russia and China all half their defence budgets.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his relationship with Vladimir Putin on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, signaling that Moscow’s detente with Washington wouldn’t deter ties.