Beyond the Mekong | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia
Bart Édes explains what last week’s landmark summit meant for ASEAN and the region’s middle powers.
U.S. President Donald Trump bids farewell to China’s President Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026.
Few political meetings have been anticipated as much as U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, held in Beijing late last week. It was the first bilateral engagement of its type in a decade and delivered with all the pomp and ceremony that the Chinese could muster.
For the rest of the world, however, it was a two-man show based on their interests. Xi left no doubt in the minds of Americans that Taiwan was at the forefront of his agenda while Trump secured trade deals – soy beans and beef – for farmers back home.
