LOS ANGELES (OC).–Meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping together with a U.S. delegation including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, together with his White House entourage, President Donald Trump opened a new era in U.S.-Chinese relations. In the Great Hall of China, Trump confirmed it was an honor to return to China after nearly 10 years to work with his good friend, Xi, to embark on new prosperity between the two superpowers. Anyone witnessing the red-carpet pomp-and-circumstances, knows Trump mastery of world events, slapping Democrats and the fake news in the face for calling him out as senile like former President Joe Biden. Biden never visited China during his four years largely because he lacked the cognitive capacity to engage in high end diplomacy. Democrats and fake news insist Trump is in the same category.
Whether admitted to or not, Trump is sharp-as-a-tack, capable of high-end diplomacy necessary to cement stronger ties with the world’s second-ranking superpower. Trump and Xi have a wide agenda, loosening tariffs, opening up trade and discussing such controversial topics as Taiwan. Bringing NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Trump hopes to cut deals with China on advance AI chips, something Xi has been asking for a long time. Trump wants to put trade tensions and tariffs in the rear view mirror, ending the contention trade relations that lost billions of dollars in trade to U.S. farmers. “Welcome, welcome!” cheering Chinese children chanted to Trump when walking with Xi on the red carpet. Xi pulled out all the stops, sparing no detail in the arrival ceremony, pleasing Trump to no end. U.S. Chinese Amb. David Perdue helped pave the way with his counterpart Vide-Chairman H.E. Han Zheng..
Trump’s first summit in Beijing produced trade deals involving Qualcom selling $12 billion in chip sets to Chinese Telecom and $37 billion in jet sales for Boeing. Trump hopes to exceed those deal with NVIDIA, possible satellite deals with SpaceX, but, most importantly, soybean deals for American farmers. Trump finds himself embroiled in a war with Iran that affects oil and natural gas sales to China. With Trump blockading Iranian ports, it directly impact China’s energy supplies, something no doubt on the agenda. Unlike Trump’s first visit dominated by containing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, Trump accepts that North Korea is a nuclear state, something he hasn’t conceded to Iran. Whatever cooperation Xi gives on Iran, Trump will have to end the duties=and-tariffs that have plagued his relations with China early in his second term.
Xi seems more that willing to let go of the past and star anew on Trump’s second time in communist China. While Democrats and the fake news are ready to criticize Trump for pandering to Xi, Trump wants to establish strong diplomatic ties, largely because he needs Xi to put pressure on Iran to end the over eight-week conflict. Xi is well-aware of the current demands Iran has made for war reparations and to assert sovereignty in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. None of the oil-rich Arab Gulf States want to change the Persian Gulf and Hormuz Strait as anything other than an international waterway. Iran has played hardball with Truump using its Republican Guard Corps to blockade the Hormuz Strait from commercial shipping. Iran’s blockade and claim to sovereignty has added billions in costs to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump wants Xi to restrict any arms sales or precursor materials aimed a manufacturing drones and ballistic missiles. While it’s late in the game to go that direction, Trump could get Xi to help prevail on opening up the Hormuz Strait. Trump would meet Iran halfway if Iran agrees to end its terrorist war on commercial shipping. Arab Gulf States have backlogs of tankers and freighters ready to move cargoes through the Hormuz Strait. Iran’s IRGC fleet of swift boats continue to plague commercial shipping in the strait, forcing the current backlog of oil and natural gas necessary to running the European Union’s commercial jet fleet. Xi could be very helpful to Trump prevailing on Iran to let Arab Gulf States commercial ships transit the Horuz Strait without extorting more cash from shipping companies. Iran currently demands sovereignty over the Hormuz Strait.
Trump has a big agenda heading into Beijing, hoping to put behind him the tariff and duties that have only added to costs to consumers. Trump knows that if he escalates the Iran War there are no guarantees that Iran under mullah rule would acquiesce to U.S. demands, prolonging the energy crisis unless the U.S. navy can neturalize the IRGC swift boat fleet currently harassing commercial vessels transiting the Hormuz Strait. Trump wants no part of putting any U.S. books on the ground to fight Iranian forces. Working with the Iranian Kurds, Trump hopes to end mullah rule at some point in the future. Whether that happens or not, Trump hopes Xi can be helpful in getting Iran to stop terrorizing commercial ships in the Hormuz Strait. China wants its oil and natural gas to run its fossil fuel hungry manufacturing base. Trump could win a big coup getting Xi to buy in.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
