June 2, 2026

Trump's dangerous Taiwan gamble

Following President Trump's comments after the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, Ryan Hass warns, "Trump’s visible sympathy for Xi’s framing on Taiwan will embolden Beijing to increase pressure on Taipei. This will elevate—not lower—the risk of confrontation."

Can the US and China cooperate on AI?

In a written interview with Ryan Hass ahead of Trump's meeting with Xi, Kyle Chan assesses the importance of U.S.-China cooperation in addressing risks posed by malicious use of AI by nonstate actors, as well as concrete actions the two countries can take to mitigate risks.

China believes America will flame out

Ryan Hass argues in The Atlantic that even though Beijing has only supported Iran indirectly, China's restraint should not be considered a weakness. “Instead,” he writes, "the country is biding its time, positioning itself as the ready choice to fill a leadership vacuum when the United States flames out."

Read in The Atlantic

Beijing's approach to the conflict in Iran and its implications for China

In a compilation of essays for the Assessing China Project, experts Ryan Hass, Patricia Kim, Yun Sun, Dennis Wilder, and Thomas Wright assess the impact of the Iran war on China, China’s response to it, and what it means for Chinese foreign policy.

How dangerous is the current China-Japan rift?

China-Japan relations have come under renewed strain after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan and Beijing's response. For the Assessing China Project's 'Lost in Translation' series, Professors Akio Takahara and Ren Xiao exchange perspectives on the causes of the China-Japan rift and its likely course going forward.

Sharpening the edge: Positioning the United States for strategic competition with China

The Brookings Institution announced the launch of a multi-year, cross-institutional initiative to ensure the United States retains its competitive edge over China. “Sharpening the Edge: Positioning the United States for strategic competition with China” will provide bold, practical policy recommendations across key areas to address the multifaceted challenge posed by China.

Explore the project

An America adrift risks falling behind China. In this introductory essay, Jonathan Czin examines the challenges at the heart of U.S. policy toward China and the risk of forfeiting America's advantages in the strategic competition. Czin contends that Brookings, with its deep bench of multidisciplinary expertise, is uniquely positioned to address these challenges both abroad and at home.

Listen to the latest episodes of 'The Beijing Brief'

Beijing's playbook for the U.S.-Iran war. In episode four of 'The Beijing Brief,' co-host Jon Czin is joined by Ryan Hass, Mara Karlin, and Suzanne Maloney to assess the triangular dynamics among the U.S., China, and Iran in the conflict in the Middle East.

What Beijing got from the Trump-Xi summit. In episode five, Ryan Hass breaks down the Trump-Xi summit with Kyle Chan, Jon Czin, and Patricia Kim, assessing its implications for the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Xi does appear to hold the stronger position relative to both Putin and Trump. Both leaders are grappling with conflicts of their own making... Xi, meanwhile, has been able to focus more squarely on strengthening China internally while projecting an image of a stable and confident great power.

May 20, 2026 | Patricia Kim, Reuters

More research and commentary

China is running a different AI race. Kyle Chan joins New York Times columnist Ross Douthat's podcast 'Interesting Times' to discuss how China and the U.S. are pursuing different AI strategies.

Rightsizing China's military. John Culver is interviewed in The Washington Post on China’s military capabilities and the lessons the People’s Liberation Army is drawing from the U.S. conflict with Iran.

What was Asia watching for? Patricia Kim examines in Channel News Asia key priorities for Asia during the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, from concessions on trade and Taiwan to the region's broader security environment.

The pageantry of Trump's China visit. Evan Osnos maps out in The New Yorker the festivities and limited concrete results of Trump's visit to Beijing.

Unpacking the Trump-Xi summit. Jon Czin assesses on CSIS's Pekingology podcast the differences in American and Chinese readouts of Trump's meeting with Xi, as well as the two leaders' personal relationship.

Implications of Trump's visit to Beijing. Jon Czin breaks down the pomp and circumstance of the meetings, the summit's historical context, potential for AI cooperation, implications for the U.S. midterms, and the overall U.S.-China trade truce on ChinaTalk.

The U.S.-China stalemate. Jon Czin is interviewed on the Trivium China podcast about China's evolving strategy toward the United States, each country's respective economic leverage, and the effect of the Iran war on U.S.-China relations.

A call for AI guardrails. In a report for the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Susan Thornton contends that the U.S. and China should establish a framework for AI safety despite competition.

Cheng faces hard questions. In advance of KMT leader Cheng Li-wun's visit to the United States, Ryan Hass lays out in Taipei Times questions that Cheng may face from both Washington policymakers and the American public.

A turning point for Taiwan. Ahead of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, Mary Gallagher dissects in World Politics Review the meeting's potential to reshape U.S.-Taiwan policy and destabilize the region.

Where is the global order going? Alongside Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Lynn Kuok, and Andrew Yeo, Ryan Hass contributes to a report by Bruce Jones, Diana Paz García, and Jeffrey Feltman on the future of the multilateral order during the age of Trump.

The cost of China's energy security drive. In World Politics Review, Mary Gallagher unpacks what the Shanxi mining accident means for safety regulation and enforcement in China's push for energy security.

About the China Center at Brookings

The John L. Thornton China Center develops timely, independent analysis and policy recommendations to address long-standing challenges related to U.S.-China relations and China's development.