September 29, 2026
The Trump-Xi Summit Leaves Taiwan in Limbo
This article was originally published in Nikkei Asia.
When Washington's de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Raymond Greene, explained the Trump administration's approach to cross-Strait relations earlier this month, he offered a preview of the tension on display when President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24.
Xi pressed Washington to move closer to Beijing's position on Taiwan. Trump pursued a steadier relationship with China, but the public accounts of the summit so far show no U.S. agreement to Xi's request. That outcome fits much of the strategy Greene described, while leaving a crucial question unresolved: Will Trump sustain deterrence as he seeks deals with Xi?
Xi used the summit to mark the change Beijing wants. Trump did not publicly grant it. Whether he can keep negotiating with Xi while making Taiwan harder to conquer is now the measure of his cross-Strait policy.
Speaking at the Taipei Security Dialogue ahead of the summit, Greene called for a U.S.-China relationship based on "strategic stability" as well as "fairness and reciprocity" that avoids "misunderstandings and miscalculations." Washington, he said, was "reinforcing its presence and partnerships" throughout the Indo-Pacific region to maintain a "favorable regional balance of power." He also praised Taiwan's investments in self-defense and asymmetric capabilities, arguing that "to deter a conflict, Taiwan doesn't need to demonstrate that it can win a war outright."
Read the full article in Nikkei Asia.
More from CNAS
-
Japan’s New CIA Could Be Takaichi’s Trump Card
Commentary
Intelligence reform may generate fewer headlines than higher defense spending, new missiles, or arms deals, but it represents another consequential way Tokyo is assuming great...
By Derek Grossman
-
America’s Secret Weapon in the Nuclear Race
Commentary
The choice is between an integrated American system that combines public missions with private capital and a fragmented one facing off against China’s coordinated buildup....
By David Feith
-
Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Sharper: China's AI RiseArtificial intelligence has become a strategic priority for Beijing and Washington, yet both countries continue to pursue dramatically different strategies in their bid for gl...
By Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
-
Indo-Pacific Stability Depends on Eastern Africa’s Prosperity
Commentary
The Strait of Malacca, Taiwan, and the South China Sea dominate the Asian debate. However, chokepoints further from home could prove similarly devastating....
By Derek Grossman
