US-China Relations

On May 14, Xi Jinping met with visiting U.S. President Trump and stated that both sides agreed to establish a “constructive strategic stability relationship” as a new framework for U.S.–China relations. Xi said the concept would provide strategic guidance for bilateral ties over the next three years and beyond, and expressed confidence that it would be welcomed by both countries and the international community.

People’s Daily described the agreement as the most significant political consensus reached during the meeting, emphasizing its importance amid a complex and evolving international environment. It characterized the concept as a key step in redefining bilateral relations.

At a regular press briefing on May 18, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China is willing to work with the United States to “continuously substantiate the connotation of this framework.” He stated that China aims to fully implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, strengthen dialogue, expand cooperation, properly manage differences and sensitive issues, and promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations.

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, May 18, 2026
https://world.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0518/c1002-40721842.html
2. Xinhua, May 18, 2026
https://www.xinhuanet.com/20260518/b19e769dbcd34a0c806d81c7c6262048/c.html

U.S. President Donald Trump departed Beijing on Friday following a high-profile summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with French newspapers Le Figaro and Libération both marking the meeting as a significant moment in recent U.S.-China relations — though from notably different angles.

On the surface, the summit projected optimism. Trump declared the two sides had reached “fantastic” and “dream-like” commercial deals beneficial to both nations, while Xi described the visit in more measured diplomatic terms as “historically significant,” emphasizing a “constructive and stable” bilateral relationship.

A key topic was the escalating Middle East crisis. Trump claimed Xi personally assured him that China would not supply military equipment to Iran and would help ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz — a concession Trump framed as a major diplomatic win. However, Beijing simultaneously signaled that the conflict “should not have happened,” implying shared blame on the U.S. and Israel. China’s posture — limited cooperation without full alignment with Washington — reflects its realist approach to the region, where its own energy security depends heavily on Gulf shipping routes.

On trade, Trump announced Chinese commitments to purchase 200 large Boeing aircraft and increase imports of American oil and agricultural products. Le Figaro viewed these deals relatively favorably, highlighting their potential to ease bilateral trade tensions. Libération was more skeptical, characterizing the announcements as largely symbolic, with deep structural competition in technology, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and rare earths remaining unresolved.

Taiwan remained the most sensitive flashpoint. Xi had previously warned against stronger U.S. support for Taiwan, while Secretary of State Rubio reaffirmed that American policy had not changed.

Both papers ultimately read the summit as a “limited de-escalation” rather than genuine reconciliation — a mutual, temporary effort to stabilize relations without addressing the underlying rivalry.

Source: Radio France International, May 15, 2026
https://rfi.my/Chde

A Chinese satellite imagery company based in Hangzhou has responded to U.S. government sanctions with a bold recruitment drive and a thinly veiled mockery of Washington’s actions, calling the designation an unexpected “surprise.”

The company, MizarVision, was among four entities added to a U.S. sanctions list on May 8. American authorities alleged that the firms had supplied satellite imagery of U.S. facilities in the Middle East to Iran, posing a threat to the safety of American personnel and those of partner nations.

According to reports, the U.S. State Department stated that MizarVision had published open-source imagery of U.S. military activity during what was designated “Operation Epic Fury” — a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran launched in late February of this year.

Just two days after the sanctions were announced, MizarVision posted a recruitment notice on Chinese social media Weibo on May 10. The announcement declared that the more complex the external environment, the more focused the company would be on building solid technology and robust products. It concluded with a pointed aside: “External forces occasionally send us some ‘surprises,’ but we’ve always been the kind of people who smile, take it in stride, and keep pushing forward” — a clear dig at the U.S. sanctions.

The company is looking to hire AI algorithm and multimodal fusion engineers, as well as industry application development engineers, among other roles.

Founded in 2021, MizarVision specializes in global multimodal sensor data fusion and geospatial intelligence. During the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, the company repeatedly posted data and imagery on Weibo tracking U.S. military movements in the Middle East, including the locations of major naval assets such as the aircraft carriers USS Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 13, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202605130302.aspx

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported that, concerns in the U.S. political arena regarding the infiltration of the Chinese auto industry have intensified. Dozens of U.S. House members have written to President Trump, urging him to impose a complete ban on Chinese automakers operating in the U.S. and to prevent Chinese automakers from using the USMCA agreement to circumvent tariffs.

The letter to the president, spearheaded by Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell, garnered over 70 House member signatures. It explicitly states that any move to lower barriers to entry for Chinese automobiles into the U.S. market, including allowing Chinese-made vehicles manufactured in other parts of North America (Canada or Mexico), would pose a “direct threat” to U.S. manufacturing, domestic workers, and national security.

In their letter, the lawmakers urged the Trump administration to take three specific actions: First, maintain tariffs: continue to impose existing tariffs on Chinese automakers and imported vehicles. Second, ban manufacturing: explicitly prohibit Chinese entities from establishing production bases within the United States. Third, close loopholes: strictly prohibit vehicles sold by Chinese entities in Canada or Mexico from entering the U.S. market, preventing them from circumventing law enforcement through cross-border trade and thus eroding the effectiveness of policies supporting domestic manufacturing.

The U.S. Senate is currently drafting a bill aimed at banning Chinese cars from entering the country through legislation; earlier this month, Democratic senators also collectively called on the White House to take strong measures in this regard.

Source: HKET, April 29, 2026
https://inews.hket.com/article/4121337/

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that, the U.S. government is inviting CEOs of major companies such as Nvidia, Apple, ExxonMobil, and Boeing to accompany President Trump on his visit to China next week, but they have reportedly declined the Chinese side’s invitation to arrange special talks between the accompanying company executives and senior Chinese officials. Executives from Qualcomm, Blackstone Group, Citigroup, and Visa were also among those invited.

The U.S. rejected China’s invitation to organize industry-specific talks between senior Chinese leaders and U.S. company CEOs, believing that such a move could make U.S. companies appear to have too close a relationship with Beijing. The White House has not formally invited the business executives, and the initial list of 24 proposed executives to accompany the visit may eventually be reduced by half. However, sources say Boeing CEO John Ottberg and Citigroup CEO Richard Fraser are indeed scheduled to visit, with Boeing set to finalize its largest aircraft order in nearly a decade with China.

Trump visited China in 2017 during his first presidential term, accompanied by nearly 30 executives. The two sides signed agreements worth over US$250 billion, setting a record for Sino-US economic and trade cooperation.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, May 8, 2026
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20260508-9015326?ref=global-top-news-13