LiveNOW from FOX hosted a Q&A with CSIS China expert Henrietta Lavine about Trump’s summit with Xi, focusing on tariffs, Taiwan, Iran, trade management, and the US-China relationship. Her core view was that both sides want stability but are aiming at very different goals, so the meeting is more likely to produce limited, tactical arrangements than a big breakthrough.
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This is a live interview segment built around viewer questions on President Trump’s China trip and summit with President Xi. Henrietta Lavine, identified as a senior fellow at CSIS’s Freeman Chair in China Studies, argued that both sides want to avoid returning to the peak of the trade war, but their priorities diverge sharply: Trump wants quick economic wins such as more Chinese purchases of US soybeans, beef, and aircraft, while China is focused on strategic issues like Taiwan and access to advanced US technology tied to AI. She did not expect major deals from the meeting, though she thought smaller economic arrangements and continued leader-to-leader contact were likely. On Taiwan, she said China treats it as the “reddest of red lines” and views the issue as central to its legitimacy and national rejuvenation narrative under Xi Jinping. …
Near term, the trade setup is about whether the summit extends the tariff pause and preserves stability rather than producing a major deal. The main tactical risk is a headline shock on Taiwan or a harder-than-expected US-China tone.
Over the next few months, the base case is iterative bargaining with occasional leader meetings and selective economic arrangements. The path improves if both sides keep channeling disputes into managed trade, but it weakens if tariff talks stall or Taiwan becomes the dominant headline.
Structurally, this looks like an enduring US-China rivalry where economic interdependence is increasingly governed by policy management rather than open markets. Taiwan, technology access, and centralized Chinese political control remain the durable forces shaping the regime.
Both the US and China want stability and do not want to return to the peak of the trade war.
Lavine explicitly says both sides focus on stability and want to avoid the earlier trade-war extreme.
Trump is focused on quick economic wins, especially more Chinese purchases of soybeans, beef, and airplanes.
She lists the specific goods Trump wants China to buy more of.
China is prioritizing Taiwan and access to advanced US technology over quick economic wins.
She contrasts US tactical goals with China’s strategic priorities.
What are the priorities for both China and the US during this meeting, and what does success look like for each side?
She said both sides want stability, but Trump wants quick economic wins while China is focused on strategic issues like Taiwan and advanced technology. She expects limited deals rather than a major breakthrough.
What has been Trump's response to discussions with China about Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Iran?
She said China views Taiwan as a red line and will push hard on it. On Iran, she said the two sides reportedly agree on keeping shipping open through the Strait of Hormuz, but China is unlikely to take real responsibility for helping the US pressure Iran.
Does the United States still see China as a global threat?
She said there is disagreement inside the Trump administration: Rubio and some officials see China as a threat, while Trump emphasizes partnership and a G2-style framing.
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