Today, Morgan, John, Amy, and Matt break down President Trump's travel to China and what it signals about the trajectory of the world's most consequential bilateral relationship. The visit produced visible wins on trade, including Chinese commitments to purchase American oil and an agreement that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open but Chinese state media has been conspicuously silent on the deals Trump has touted publicly. Xi's invocation of the Thucydides Trap, referencing the Peloponnesian War and competing powers in the context of Taiwan, set a striking backdrop for a visit the administration framed primarily around economic cooperation.
Was this a diplomatic breakthrough or a carefully managed photo opportunity that Beijing will leverage as it sees fit? How should we interpret the gap between Trump's transactional framing and Xi's pointed messaging about regional stability and power transitions? Are the national security gains from this trip real, or are they downstream consequences of economic agreements that haven't fully materialized yet?
Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.
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