"I don't think there is a leader more the opposite of this style than Xi Jinping."

Transparency and total control

It's not just Trump's propensity to tweet that sets his communication style apart from Xi. "They are polar opposites in many ways," said Sarah Cook, a senior research analyst for East Asia at Freedom House, a US-based think tank.

Since the rise of social media, politicians in the US have worked to make themselves more accessible, and no one emphasizes this personal connection like Trump, who leaves readers in no doubt they're getting his unfiltered thoughts on Twitter.

"Communication in China's political culture is scripted to the extreme, and we wouldn't ever expect to see truly spontaneous expressions from top leaders," said David Bandurski, co-director of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong.

Propaganda push

Nowhere was this scripting more evident than during the recent National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which saw "Xi Jinping Thought" inserted into the country's constitution, an honor not granted to any living Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.

Following the announcement of a new party standing committee, the country's top body, most state-run newspapers carried a giant photo of Xi on the front page, above a wide shot of the other members.

New media has also been enlisted in this propaganda effort, with limited success.

All interviewees are unfailingly positive and complimentary about China's political system: of party cadres, a woman in Nigeria tells the camera "they have an unshakeable belief, and they have good morality."

On the streets of London, a man describes Xi as "measured, calm and considered with his judgment," adding "some of us in the West wish that some of our leaders were more like him."

State media have also been keen to embrace the very platforms banned in China -- Facebook, YouTube, Twitter -- to help them get their message out around the world.

"Officials have tried to make their propaganda more appealing to ordinary people," said GreatFire's Smith. "But if there was ever a dictionary definition of 'putting lipstick on a pig,' then this would be it."

Cook, the Freedom House researcher, said the rap songs and other recent efforts have come in for considerable mockery on the Chinese internet, but measuring their true influence or popularity is difficult.

"Considering the high level of censorship in China and the growing risk of reprisals for those who criticize Xi, it's difficult to gauge how much of a gulf there is between the Party's message and ordinary people," she said.

Twitter president

Twitter is blocked by the Great Firewall of China, the world's most sophisticated system of internet censorship and control, but this is unlikely to hamper Trump, raising the prospect of him tweeting while in Beijing.

"If Trump does manage to tweet during his visit to China, I hope the President appreciates the fact that Twitter is blocked in the country and his access is a privilege," HKU's Bandurski said.

Smith said Trump tweeting about China during his visit could embarrass Xi and force state media to acknowledge the existence of the Great Fire Wall, something it is normally loath to do. He predicted the US President would stay off Twitter in Beijing.

"We may see him tweet before he gets off Air Force One and once he gets back on it," he said. "But who knows, 'Fox & Friends' will be on in prime time, China-time so he might not be able to hold back."