The Chicago Council for Global Affairs

Analysis by Raymond C. Kuo
What the Trump-Xi Summit Could Mean for US-China Relations
President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. Global Politics
Susan Walsh / AP
From trade to Taiwan, the two leaders are set to discuss a range of thorny issues this week in Beijing.
China Shipping containers sit stacked up at the Long Beach Container Terminal China Shipping containers sit stacked up at the Long Beach Container Terminal China Shipping containers sit stacked up at the Long Beach Container Terminal China Shipping containers sit stacked up at the Long Beach Container Terminal Public Opinion
Damian Dovarganes / AP
Americans Say US Tariffs on China Have Been Bad for Both Nations
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey by Craig Kafura
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks during a press conference on "Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership" in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 3, 2026. In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks during a press conference on "Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership" in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 3, 2026. In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks during a press conference on "Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership" in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 3, 2026. In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks during a press conference on "Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership" in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 3, 2026. US Foreign Policy
Taiwan Presidential Office via AP
At Trump-Xi Summit, a Chance to Set the Terms on Taiwan
ANALYSIS by Raymond C. Kuo

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A man waves an Iranian flag under a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of USPresident Donald Trump Public Opinion
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Americans Say the Iran War Is Bad for the United States
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But Republicans stand in stark contrast, favoring the Trump administration’s actions in Iran.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center front, attends the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, March 4, 2024. Global Politics
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Trump and Xi meet this week with vastly different goals and theories about where the world is going.

A group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu, Philippines on Friday, May 8, 2026. Global Politics
Aaron Favila / AP
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The Iran war’s ripple effects risk obscuring festering divisions within the Southeast Asian bloc—most notably its inability to develop a region-wide approach to Washington and Beijing.

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Council in the News

Leslie Vinjamuri on Bloomberg News US Foreign Policy
US-Iran Tensions Flare Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
In the News Bloomberg by Leslie Vinjamuri

"The sort of immediate and urgent crisis is Iran, and it's not the nuclear program, it's the strait," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri tells Bloomberg. "He will be seeking to see whether China will do anything to help unlock that."

China's President Xi Jinping attends a welcoming ceremony for Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Global Politics
Maxim Shemetov / AP
China Never Promised a Peaceful Resolution of the Taiwan Issue
In the News The National Interest by Paul Heer

"Beijing is not looking for an opportunity or an excuse to attack Taiwan. On the contrary, it is still looking to Washington and Tokyo for reasons not to do so," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Heer writes for The National Interest.

Rachel Bronson appears on Bloomberg Global Economy
What the Iran War Means for Iraq
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"Iraq is so dependent on their exports leaving the Persian Gulf," says Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Rachel Bronson. "I am really worried about unintended consequences."

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The Burden of History: How Presidents Confront the Nation's Past
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Ruti Teitel and Leslie Vinjamuri discuss how American presidents have used tools of justice and reconciliation to address historical harms and advance peace abroad.
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