Nations that avoided China in recent years are now sending their leaders to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

US President Trump's aggressive policies, from Iran armadas and Venezuelan oil seizures to Panama Canal pressures and Greenland mineral grabs are tightening a global noose around China's trade lifelines fueled by growing internal rifts in PLA.

Trump was not the only factor behind the agreements, but his shaking up of the global order is worrying friends and foes and driving them closer.