FP’s analysis and reporting

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s China Brief.

The highlights this week: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump prepare to meet in Washington, purged Chinese military leaders are officially expelled, and the United States dismantles some of its top China-focused think tanks.

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s China Brief.

The highlights this week: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump prepare to meet in Washington, purged Chinese military leaders are officially expelled, and the United States dismantles some of its top China-focused think tanks.

Trump-Xi Summit Preview

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump sat down with the socialist leader of a major economy who he desperately wishes to impress. Oh, and on Thursday, he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Jokes aside, I don’t expect much to come of the summit. For one, the White House’s preparation for the trip has been unsurprisingly chaotic and incompetent.

More fundamentally, neither side is in a position to try anything dramatic. Trump is increasingly weak on the home front, chastened by Beijing’s decision last year to tighten the screws on critical mineral exports. Meanwhile, China is still reeling from its property crisis and has no appetite for a bigger economic fight, having just staved off Trump’s trade war.

Xi’s task is simply to signal business as usual and avoid setting off a Trump outburst. He has never had much trouble managing the U.S. president, and there is no reason to expect that to change now. There is no official agenda for the meeting yet, but the top priorities are likely to include managing the trade relationship and securing the supply of Chinese critical minerals.

Artificial intelligence is also expected to be on the table, especially after the United States almost seized a Chinese........

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