May 26, 2026
A Confirmation of Beijing’s Belief in Its Own Strength.
This article was originally published in NOTUS.
The Trump-Xi summit generated more spectacle than substance. Nevertheless, the main long-term impact of the summit will be the solidification of Beijing’s view that China is now a geopolitical peer to the United States.
Trump’s approach likely left Xi believing China’s strength has forced a mellowing of the U.S. stance toward Beijing.
Building the material power to achieve this status — and forcing the world to recognize it — has been the central project of Xi’s tenure. The Chinese Communist Party’s one-line version of the country’s history under party rule asserts: Under Mao China “stood up,” under Deng the country grew rich, and now under Xi it has become strong and can take “center stage.” The summit appeared to substantiate that framing.
Read the full article in NOTUS.
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