Can Xi and Trump use their leverage to actually make progress?
When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the fifth part of a series, Fan Chen and Orange Wang look at the negotiating chips and areas where progress might be made. There will be some powerful bargaining chips on the…
When U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see if their countries can work together on "constructive strategic stability." Both nations possess significant bargaining chips, including rare earths and critical minerals for China, and advanced semiconductors and technologies for the United States.
Analysts agree that keeping bilateral ties stable is a top priority, and a "tacit understanding" on sensitive issues like Iran and Taiwan is expected to help. North Korea is also likely to be discussed.
While both countries have powerful tools, neither can use them without facing retaliation. Still, there are critical areas where cooperation could be made, such as artificial intelligence, military dialogue, trade, and biosafety. Recently, U.S. Trade Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng agreed to establish a dialogue on AI with shared goals and threats in mind.
They also created a bilateral Board of Trade and an emergency hotline for critical AI incidents. Both the U.S. and China desire a stable and constructive relationship, and Trump values his personal rapport with Xi, which he believes is crucial for maintaining bilateral ties.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
