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.
More from CNAS
-
XI Jinping Looking to Bring North Korea Back Into China’s Orbit: Analyst
Video
Duyeon Kim, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says her sources have informed her that Beijing is unhappy with Pyongyang’s growing relationship w...
By Duyeon Kim
-
Does the Quad Still Matter?
Commentary
Under the second Trump administration, some analysts have expressed growing pessimism about the group’s effectiveness, given the president’s apparent lack of interest in atten...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Thwarting Communications Blackout
Reports
Control over the physical means of transmitting information—the lifeblood of modern societies—has become a central area of contestation between Taiwan and the United States on...
By Jacob Stokes & Ryan Claffey
-
Pakistan’s Growing Regional Role
Video
Pakistan’s regional role is expanding — but what does it mean for the Middle East, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific? In a new MBN Digital Salon, Jeffrey Gedmin discusse...
By Lisa Curtis
