When the Chinese government started to plan a week-long trip to the US for President Xi Jinping, they hoped to generate the kind of images that would present him as a popular leader respected on the international stage.
Instead, the Chinese leader found himself outgunned at every turn by three of the world’s most compelling media figures — Pope Francis, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Over the course of his week in the US, Mr Xi’s visit struggled for attention amid America’s surprisingly passionate love affair with the Pope, the ongoing show that is Mr Trump’s presidential candidacy and the diplomatic slugfest between Mr Putin and Barack Obama and the UN.