Trump's China visit - IRAN WAR NEWS - 18-May-2026

Brian Berletic: US-China Meeting Was Performative as US Blockades & Proxy Wars Target China and its Allies - YouTube

• The US has a long-established pattern of meeting with China (and also Russia), agreeing in principle to cooperation and stability, while in practice committing to continued war, proxy war, encroachment, and containment of China;
• The recent US-China meeting in China included little substance and concluded with not only unchanged US geopolitical objectives centered on containing China, but the continued escalation of blockades, wars, and proxy wars waged in pursuit of these objectives;
• On the issue of Taiwan, US President Trump continues the same pattern of agreeing in principle with China over the US' own "one China" policy, while in practice continuing to undermine China's sovereignty over the island province and the transformation of the island province into a battering ram to use against the rest of China;

Larry Johnson: Trump's Failed Mission to China

The Beijing circus is over and Donald Trump's talks with Xi Jinping produced nothing more than some pleasing photo ops and some performative diplomacy with no substantive accomplishments.

There was no final communique at the end of Trump's two days of meetings with Xi Jinping. Instead, we are left to rely on the statements from each government. When you parse the two statements, the two readouts diverge significantly, and the gaps are as informative as the overlaps. When you compare what each side claims was discussed you can see what actually transpired at the summit.

Trump's Greeting by Chinese School Girls - Global Research

Prior to departure for China, President Trump had said that

"Xi Jinping will NOT touch Taiwan while he's in the White House" while just ahead of liftoff, a bipartisan group of Senators forwarded a letter to the President.

The letter suggested they had unrealistically high expectations for the President to "make clear that America's support for Taiwan is inviolable" and went on to suggest that

"You can make clear to Beijing that as you seek to level the economic playing field, American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation."

In addition, the letter requested that the President "formally notify the $14 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved in January 2025" as if the risk of US intervention in Taiwan would be applicable at that moment. The letter was signed by six Democratic Senators and two Republicans.

What is more than incredulous is that six senior US Senators would believe it appropriate for the President, on his way into a highly sensitive, political - diplomatic Summit with the world's most prominent economic and political dignitary, to pressure his host with accusations in support of Taiwan while debating Chinese "aggression."

Wisely, as far as is known, the President did not present the letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping or his representative nor do we know if Trump who is not known for his analytical standards, even read the letter.

Meanwhile, upon the arrival of Air Force One, Chinese President Xi was not in attendance as several low level diplomats were on hand to greet the US President as well as hundreds of cheering Chinese school girls similar to the same age as the 170 school girls killed in Iran on the first day of the Iran war. Trump missed that the Chinese have subtle ways of communicating or making their point.

In China, Xi let Trump play the suitor - RT India

The Chinese readout of the Xi-Trump summit has a hard, realistic and demanding edge to it. The emphasis is on a relationship based on equality. Centrality is given to US handling of the Taiwan issue, with Xi warning that it must be treated with utmost caution. If handled well, bilateral relations can maintain overall stability, but if handled poorly it can lead to confrontation and even conflict, pushing the entire relationship into a very dangerous situation. This has implications for Trump's decision on the $14 billion arms package for Taiwan approved by the US Congress.

[...]

In his opening remarks to Trump at the formal talks, Xi called on the US to be "partners, not rivals," and made a reference to overcoming the Thucydides trap. He has done so in the past, but that he chose to do so when the debate over this concept is no longer current internationally,suggests that Xi wanted to revive the debate and convey that China was now the risen power that was in a position to potentially clash with the US as the established power.

Trump seems to have understood the message belatedly and later in his Truth Social post called this an elegant way by Xi to refer to the US as a declining power. The subtle message here by Xi is also that China and the US are the principal powers today and bear the shared responsibility for global peace and prosperity - a possible hint of a G2.

Exercise Balikatan 2026: The West's calculated attempt against Russia and China

The Western powers, led by the United States, are dangerously encroaching towards the Russian naval base at Vladivostok and China's Eastern, Southern, and Northern fleets. The naval encroachment in the name of exercises could be extremely dangerous.

Italy calls for partnership with Russia and BRICS

"I think Italy should open up to establishing closer relations and partnerships with the Global South, the East, Russia, as well as with China and the BRICS countries. As we say, this is a multipolar world, and I think this will be an important prospect for my country as well," Gianmarco Pisa told RIA Novosti.

Azarov: The United States is leaving Zelenskyy because they do not want lasting peace

The United States is not removing the regime of Vladimir Zelenskyy because it does not want long-term peace in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

"You can talk about peace, you can throw dust in your eyes, but in fact they don't want to remove the main obstacle to peace - the Zelenskyy regime," he said in an interview with TASS.