Sunday shows preview: Trump returns from China as Iran war fuels economic anxiety

President Trump is back home following a high-stakes meeting in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping that focused on trade, Taiwan and the spiking energy prices amid the war in Iran.

Trump arrived on Wednesday and met with Xi the following day. He praised Xi, telling him it was “an honor” to be his friend.

Xi, however, warned against the U.S. and China falling into the “Thucydides trap,” a geopolitical concept that states that conflict ultimately takes place if a ruling power feels threatened by a rising power.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and China agree that the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept closed off to oil cargo vessels, should not be “militarized” and should reopen, and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. But although the U.S. would lean on China to pressure Iran into reopening the strait, readouts of the meeting showed almost nothing said by the Chinese side about the strait.

Chinese officials also warned the U.S. against backing Taiwanese sovereignty, as China views Taiwan as one of its territories. Xi told Trump that the “entire” U.S.-Chinese relationship would be at risk if the “Taiwan question” is not handled well, the Chinese foreign ministry stated.

Trump on Friday later told Fox News’s Bret Baier that there was “no commitment” on Taiwan, adding that he wants China and Taiwan to “cool down.”

Bipartisan members of Congress have called on Trump to approve a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, but the president has been ambiguous, telling Baier, “I may do it. I may not do it.”

Few other deals were reached during the summit. Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that China agreed to a large order of between 400 and 450 GE Aerospace jet engines and 200 jets from Boeing, with an additional purchase to buy up to 750 planes “if they do a good job.” Both leaders also made agreements on agriculture, including China “buying billions of dollars of soybeans,” Trump........

© The Hill