Michael McFaul

A new era of great power competition has begun. I explore what America must do next in my book Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. www.amazon.com/dp/0358677874

Communist regimes: Own companies Control their central banks Use tariffs to insulate their economies Use armies, false charges, home raids & arrests to intimidate the opposition Idolize their leaders with posters & praise Sound familiar?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I3x...

Why?

Trump helped turn the Strait of Hormuz into a global crisis—and now he’s looking to China to help bail us out. Think about how that makes us look to the rest of the world.

Xi was not talking about the United States from two years ago. I don’t understand who is the target audience for this kind of absurd spin.

So far, this trip feels heavy on pageantry and light on substance. Plenty of cordial exchanges, but few tangible deliverables. Maybe that changes tomorrow. But at the moment, Trump seems to view a good meeting with Xi as the goal itself.

As far as we know, Trump has not made any imprudent concessions to Xi on Taiwan. That's good news. But remember, we only found out about Trump's disastrous concessions to Putin on Donbas in Alaska long after the summit was over. Watch this space.

I’m struck by how often Trump referred to Xi as his “friend” and a “great leader.” Xi Jinping, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, is a dictator. He also offered no such reciprocal praise for Trump. That asymmetry makes Trump appear in a visibly weaker position.

There have been changes in the balance of power between the US & China since Trump's first term. Some of this is down to Xi’s policies, but Trump’s actions have contributed. If we don't start correcting these errors, we'll lose to China in this new era of great-power competition.

My biggest worry about Trump's excursion to China is that he will say something off the cuff that will undermine US national security interests. I'm most worried about an imprudent statement about Taiwan.

Typically, heads of state don’t greet presidents when they land. That’s not protocol. It’s no big deal that Xi wasn’t on the tarmac. It was highly unusual when Trump was waiting for Putin on the tarmac in Alaska.

My latest: Détente 2.0: Hoping for a Boring Summit in Beijing open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...

The next major chapter in the U.S.-China superpower competition will unfold this week when President Trump attends a two-day summit in Beijing with Chairman Xi Jinping. Here's why I'm hoping it's boring. My latest on Substack: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/detente-20...