U.S.-China Competition

A more confident China is happy to downplay presidential visits.

A tale of two readouts.

From the Iran war to trade, the U.S. president failed to secure major concessions from his counterpart.

Beijing can’t easily afford to escalate any economic struggle with Washington.

The U.S. president heads to Beijing in detente and dealmaking mode.

The leaders are expected to talk trade, Taiwan, and the Iran war.

For all of the U.S. leader’s efforts, Washington remains deeply vulnerable.

There were always reasons to doubt it was a real possibility—until now.

Cutting-edge U.S. models are too expensive for much of the world.

U.S. guarantees have not shielded Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam from economic shock.

The real test for the Trump-Xi meeting will come afterwards.

Why Beijing’s success spells doom for everyone else.

The Iran war exposes the limits of zero-sum thinking about great powers.

Beijing is less focused on acquiring sovereign control, more so in assuring its own strategic security.

Washington thinks offensive cyber power will restore deterrence. It’s mistaken.

The lack of a counterweight encourages intervention and overreach.

Such a view both overstates and understates the scope of Beijing’s ambitions.

Will there be order after chaos?

The influential Pentagon official is narrowing choices available to U.S. allies.

Kurt Campbell: “The president clearly wants short-term deals.”

The Pentagon’s top policymaker answers questions about the White House’s commitment to Europe’s security.

How Beijing has navigated sports and soft power, from Lake Placid to Milan Cortina.

The island’s deputy foreign minister on Trump, defense, and why he thinks countries shouldn’t trust China.

China’s president looks secure on the world stage, but trouble is brewing on the home front.

The world is a more dangerous place as New START expires and China’s nuclear arsenal grows.

Countries with a critical niche may be best primed to endure great-power competition.

Xi’s purges are part of a generational reshuffling of generals.

A new annual strategy document would streamline spending and signal seriousness to allies.

Washington’s outreach to Myanmar’s junta is shortsighted.

The world-minus-one moment.

Allies fear that Washington is retreating from leadership at the worst possible time.

The 30 biggest releases in foreign affairs, history, and political science.

Readers kept track of Trump’s whirlwind foreign policy and upheaval in the global order.

Trump’s quest for China-free supply chains explained much of his foreign policy in 2025.

From trade wars to tech competition, this year was a vicious cycle of escalations, retaliations, and negotiations.

The imbalance raises questions about the global economy and Trump administration policy.

Trump’s overtures to Beijing deal a blow to U.S. hard-liners.

From Canada to Pakistan, an interest in critical minerals is a through line in the White House’s foreign policy.

Beijing’s continued economic growth depends on a fragile balance of control and freedom.

The leaders talked trade, Taiwan, and—likely—Japan.

Why Washington’s foreign-policy community needs to take its conversation to a new platform.

The U.S. president said he’ll work with regional partners to help end Sudan’s civil war.

Trump’s threats leave Nigerians worried about superpower intentions.

Low-emission hydrogen is quickly becoming the latest frontier for geoeconomic competition.

Tariffs and inattention have pushed regional states toward China.

Chile, Mexico, and Peru announced new trade talks at APEC.

The U.S.-Philippines-Japan partnership needs institutionalization.

Taipei needs to learn how to better wield the “silicon shield.”

China aims to portray itself as a champion of free trade amid high U.S. tariffs.

Beijing appears to be the bigger winner, leveraging Washington’s reliance on China to lower steep U.S. duties.

From soybeans to semiconductors, here’s everything you need to know about what came out of the meeting. 

Beijing is hoping to use an expanded free trade deal to portray itself as the bloc’s alternative to the United States.

China’s complex new rules take on the entire world at once—and give Trump an opportunity.

The agreement aims to counter China’s near monopoly on supply chains.

Southeast Asia’s freest democracy is joining ASEAN and could shift the balance of power.

Beijing’s new export controls take a page from Washington’s playbook.

Well-founded or not, Beijing’s fear of a U.S. decapitation strike could prove dangerous. Washington should help mitigate it.

Beijing’s control of rare-earth minerals will force Trump to find new leverage.

There are several options for dealing with the Trump administration.

Artificial intelligence is not the most important part of the U.S.-China technology race, yet it receives the most attention in Washington.

The island’s de facto ambassador to Washington on Trump, China, defense spending, and more.

The dollar isn’t getting dethroned—yet—by outside rivals, but Trump may be doing their work for them.

Can the latest round of negotiations find a deal that sticks?

The collateral damage from the ICE raid on a Hyundai plant is yet another example of Trump’s counterproductive strategy.

China’s real message was on display in its military parade, not the empty pageantry of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Beijing’s influence efforts can be surprisingly small-scale.

A new book argues that the world’s two biggest economies need a bit more of each other’s cultures.

Washington needs to move quickly if it hopes to compete in this critical industry.

Taipei needs to spend more on defense and invest more in the U.S.

Nvidia and AMD show how deals get done in Trump’s Washington.

In this critical decade, Washington is ceding the field entirely.

By improving business ties with Beijing, New Delhi is advancing its economic interests amid uncertainty from Washington.

Why all signs are pointing to a breakthrough at the upcoming Trump-Xi summit.

Oil sanctions have failed to deliver results with Iran and Russia. It would be a mistake to try them with China.

When European and Chinese leaders meet in Beijing, relations will be strained.

Despite recent debates at the Pentagon, a global approach to Eurasian threats is needed.

European allies should strengthen NATO’s Indo-Pacific ties as Washington wavers.

The “move fast and break things” approach of Trump’s second term has undermined some of his administration’s own China goals.

China is happy to step back from the Middle East so that it can challenge the United States where it counts.

“We’re in the sprint mode of a real race for supremacy between the United States and China.”

Targeting students based on party affiliation is fundamentally misguided.

Confrontational rhetoric combined with uncertain commitments raise fears of abandonment in Southeast Asia.

The leaders claimed progress on thorny issues, but it remains to be seen if the rhetoric will translate into reality.

Lee Jae-myung vows to take a more pragmatic approach than previous administrations.

If Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passes, the entire supply chain could be ceded to China.

Trump’s “Americas First” foreign policy has intensified geopolitical competition in the region.

Though the Trump administration hasn’t provided details, a rough estimate suggests a staggering impact.

Ongoing fears of student espionage are largely unfounded.

Officials hope to boost domestic spending, but prospects are slim.

But big questions remain about what happens next.

In a joint statement, the two sides took a step back from the cliff.

But the likelihood of the two sides reaching a comprehensive deal soon remains low.

While U.S. military leaders fret about China, Trump has dismissed the Asia-Pacific.

The U.S. has been trying to keep its technological lead through export restrictions, but China is closing the gap.

The removal of the “de minimis” exemption will hit Chinese e-commerce giants—but also hurt low-income Americans and small businesses.

Beijing refutes Trump’s claims about ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries.

Beijing and Washington are putting third parties in a painful position.

The White House may have miscalculated Beijing’s ability to endure pain—and a popular mood to stand up to Trump.

China’s role in smartphone and chip supply chains is blunting the U.S. president’s ambitions—at least for now.

In China and the United States, trade war uncertainty is prompting difficult decisions.