Editorial: US-China summit worthwhile if it helps defuse tensions

May 18 , 2026

The recent two-day summit when US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing was an opportunity to showcase an ostensible rapprochement between the two superpower leaders. So much so that the US president would describe their meeting as the “G2,” as if they were the only nations that mattered in the world order.

In addition to discussing bilateral trade and commerce, the two sides also exchanged views on the Iran war and Taiwan—with little in terms of specific agreement to show. Still, the fact that the two leaders managed to sit down and talk in order to avoid further escalation of tensions could be seen as a plus.

People’s Liberation Army jet fighters and warships now repeatedly maneuver near Taiwan’s airspace and waters, dramatically increasing the risk of an accidental clash with US air and naval forces in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea. Even more alarming, there have been numerous cases in which the Beijing-Washington military hotline has failed in keeping bilateral communications open during heightened tensions.

Meanwhile, the US-Israelis military strikes against Iran have seriously depleted American military equipment and assets, making the Taiwan situation even more perilous and Chinese cooperation more significant.

At the same time, China is mired by a tanking real estate market, rising unemployment among young people and declining foreign investment. A genuine easing of tensions with the US, then, should prove attractive to Beijing during its time of economic woes.

Where does that leave Japan? Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s insistence on a China containment policy could very well become irrelevant, even to the point of causing Washington to lose faith over her willingness to opt for confrontation and resistance to dialogue rather than seeking improved ties with China through diplomatic initiatives.