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Here’s what’s available for today: Trump and Xi Share different messages on Taiwan, Government of Latvia he gets a shake-up, and Israel oaths to accuse him New York Times.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had no shortage of topics to discuss when they met in Beijing on Thursday, the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade. But the two sides chose to focus on different issues in their respective readings and differed sharply on the Taiwan issue.
Continued US support for the island, which China claims, has largely come out of bilateral talks that have focused mostly on trade, technology and the Iran war. Based in Beijing read At the meeting, Xi told Trump that “the Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations,” adding that the concept of Taiwan’s independence and peace between Taiwan and China “cannot be combined like fire and water.” Xi urged “extra caution” from the United States in handling Taiwan.
Trump may have written more on that note: America read of the meeting did not mention Taiwan at all, and the only route mentioned was the Strait of Hormuz. President of the United States too ignored the reporter’s question as to Taiwan was discussed.
Where are the weapons? Trump’s strategic silence may be seen as the best scenario for China watchers inside and outside his administration, given his mixed message on Taiwan ahead of the visit.
Trump he raised the alarm before the trip he repeatedly said he would discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, potentially violating one of the key tenets of US-Taiwan relations known as “Sixth Assurance” issued to Taiwan by former President Ronald Reagan in 1982. The second of the six assurances clearly states that the United States “has not agreed” to consult with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan.
Trump also hesitated to approve a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan ahead of his visit to China, which will be the largest US arms sale to Taiwan. However, the current record for that sale is also held by the Trump administration, which approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December.
The Chinese reading did not say whether an arms sale was discussed, and the fate of the latest package once Trump returns to Washington remains unclear. In response to a request for comment from the White House, a senior administration official would only tell SitRep that “both sides reiterated their longstanding position on the issue and everyone understands each other’s position.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Taiwan and China are “not inferior to each other” and that China “has no right to represent Taiwan” on the international stage. “China is currently the only threat to regional peace and stability,” the statement added. “As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work closely with the United States and like-minded countries to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the freedom, openness and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.”
Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Silina on Thursday he announced his resignation amid political controversy over a recent incident involving two Ukrainian drones that entered the country from Russia and crashed—one hitting an oil storage facility. Silina fired Defense Minister Andris Spruds over the incident, which added to the escalation of drone attacks in the Baltic states that have raised concerns about weak air defenses. Later, the Progressive Spruds party withdrew its support for Silina’s ruling coalition, leading to its disintegration.
Also announcing his resignation on Thursday was US Border Patrol chief Michael Banks, who he told it Fox News that it was “just in time” to resign.
What should be high on your radar, if it isn’t already.
Hitchhiker Huang. Trump’s visit to China appears to significantly violate two major issues in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies: technology and precious metals.
Trump was accompanied on his trip by top US tech leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk—whose companies have strong ties to China. He even it took Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at a gas station in Alaska on his way to Beijing, after Huang’s absence from the original list caused a lot of headlines. The sale of Nvidia’s high-end H200 semiconductor chips in China has become a major bilateral issue.
So far, however, it seems the tech executives were there for the eye. There are still no deals on chips and other technology, taking first place for featured deals. Boeing airplanes and beef.
The results of the visit may please both leaders, but Xi may emerge happier, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for research and advocacy on US-China relations at the International Conflict Group.
“Trump will be happy that he has had a good relationship with Xi and enabled major American companies to strengthen their holdings in China,” Wyne said. “Nevertheless, Xi will emerge with a shorter but more impactful award. By eloquently praising his counterpart and emphasizing his adherence to the ‘G-2’ structure of international affairs, Trump has enthusiastically done what none of his predecessors thought – or felt compelled – to do: recognize China as a close peer in the international system.”
(Read more about Trump’s broader pushback on China in Rishi’s piece here.)
The Iran war remains controversial. Despite frequent exchanges of fire since it began more than a month ago, the ceasefire in the Iran war continues to falter. But the US and Iran are no closer to an agreement to end the war, and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz continues. cause great pain on the world economy. John interviewed a cease-fire and conflict mediation expert for insight into why the US-Iran ceasefire has been so vulnerable from the start. Read their conversation here.
Meanwhile, the war is still unpopular in the United States. A large majority of Americans (66 percent) do not think Trump has explained clearly why the United States went to war with Iran, according to a new poll. Reuters/Ipsos poll. Despite this, Congress has failed to end the conflict. FP’s Rachel Oswald broke down why that’s in A must-read piece this week.
Israel plans to sue NYT. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday he announced that he has “instructed my legal advisers to consider stricter legal action” against New York Times and journalist Nicholas Kristof on Kristof’s article alleging that Israeli soldiers, prison guards, interrogators, and settlers have engaged in widespread sexual abuse against Palestinians.
Netanyahu accused them Times and Kristof for defaming “Israeli soldiers” and perpetuating a “bloody rape scandal, trying to create a false parallel between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and the brave soldiers of Israel.” The Israeli prime minister said that his government “will fight this lie in the court of public opinion and in the court of law.” The Times has defended Kristof and his piece, explaining that “the information was thoroughly reviewed.”
Residents carrying their dogs leave a residential building destroyed following Russian drone and missile attacks in Kyiv on May 14.Roman Pilipey/ AFP via Getty Images
Monday, May 18: G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors are set to meet in Paris.
The 79th World Health Assembly begins in Geneva.
Tuesday, May 19: Adm. Bradley Cooper of the United States, the commander of the US Central Command, and General Dagvin Anderson, the commander of the US Africa Command, are scheduled to testify before the Armed Services Committee of the US Congress.
NATO defense chiefs are expected to meet in Brussels.
Thursday, May 21: NATO foreign ministers are scheduled to gather for an informal meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden.
The GLOBSEC platform begins in Prague, Czechia. John is attending the conference— stay tuned for updates next week!
$29 billion: The estimated cost of the Iran war to the United States so far, according to acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst in congressional testimony this week. That figure does not include the cost of repairing US facilities damaged by Iranian strikes.
“I’m not thinking about the financial situation of the Americans. I’m not thinking about anybody. I’m thinking about one thing: We can’t allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
-Trump’s response to a journalist who asked to what extent the financial situation of the Americans motivates him to make a deal with Iran.
Brett Ratner, who directed Running Time action films as well as a recent film about US first lady Melania Trump, he accompanied the president of the United States on Air Force One on its way to China this week. Ratner inspects filming locations in China for Crash Hour 4. Trump is apparently a big fan of the buddy-cop franchise and has reportedly been personally influenced for reviving it.
