Commentary

The recent Trump-Xi meeting resolved none of the underlying tensions between Beijing and Washington. It merely kicked the can down the road.

This week’s incidents speak to a growing, and concerning, trust deficit between the United States and its closest European ally.   

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s meeting with US President Donald Trump comes during a period of relatively strong and stable ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States. How much he can leverage those ties will be on full display.

"The decision is going to come down to whether it's Congress' responsibility to tax people and to therefore regulate tariffs, or whether the president really does have carte blanche to do these things" under the IEEPA, Cécile Shea says.

Craig Kafura unpacks new Council polling that shows 53 percent of Americans now want to pursue a policy of cooperation and engagement with Beijing.

"We'll see how the working levels are able to negotiate on some of these really sticky points like finalizing energy purchases, like finalizing that TikTok transfer," Craig Kafura says.

New Council polling finds Americans oppose higher tariffs on China and are warming to the idea of economic cooperation.

"There are some encouraging signs if you’re sitting in China and you’ve been arguing for a more diplomacy-heavy approach toward the United States," Craig Kafura says.

"As Americans eulogize soft power, they should push past nostalgia to consider what precisely has been lost," Suzanne Nossel writes.

A short-term deal on soybeans, tariffs, and rare earths may ease tensions between the two economies, but competition over technology and supply chains runs far deeper.