Observers in China detect the possibility of ’trilateral coordination’ between China, Russia and the United States, with the US the biggest variable. As energy cooperation tops the summit agenda, back-to-back state visits of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could pave the way for emerging ’trilateral coordination’ between China, Russia and the United States. That is according to Cui Hongjian, a former diplomat and the head of European studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University.