Global Scans · Xi Jinping · Weekly Summary

• The next 60 days - between the ASEAN ministerial and the Trump-Xi summit - will determine whether the South China Sea enters a phase of managed competition or drifts toward a series of incidents that neither side fully controls. CES Intelligence
• Analysts doubt Xi will pressure Tehran heavily or end support for its military, given Iran's strategic value to Beijing as a counterweight to the United States. The Daily Star
• While the energy shortfall is problematic for China, in other ways Washington riding roughshod over established maritime norms plays in Beijing's hands, especially regarding its claims over Taiwan, the self-ruling island Xi has repeatedly threatened to invade. Time
• US-China relations will remain broadly stable in H2 2026 and going into 2027, as Presidents Trump and Xi work towards new trade arrangements. Fitch Solutions
• President Xi Jinping has promoted AI and robotics as part of China's drive to develop new quality productive forces - that will create jobs and boost economic growth. BBC News
• There are any number of views on whether Xi Jinping will move to take Taiwan militarily; almost everyone agrees it is more likely now that it was at the start of the decade. The Spinoff
• China is preparing for a summit between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in May, where Beijing will likely be looking for clarity around the threat of Section 301 tariffs. CNBC
• The US-China relationship has stabilized modestly, and multiple Trump-Xi meetings are expected in 2026, creating opportunities for incremental progress, with key questions around export controls and access to advanced technology unresolved. Androscoggin Financial Services
• President Xi will build railway bridges and roads across Africa. Hindustan Times
• Xi will try to demonstrate China's sway over the Korean Peninsula and a leadership role in entire Northeast Asia in the age of strategic competition with the U.S.. NPR
• President Trump's confidence in his own relationship with Chairman Xi will lead to a lessening of U.S. support for Taiwan in areas such as security, trade, and support for Taiwan's efforts to preserve its web of official and unofficial international relationships. Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Judging by the continued lack of progress on the long-stalled pipeline during Putin's recent meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing, war in the Middle East and the resultant disruptions in energy shipments do not seem to have changed Beijing's calculus. New Eurasian Strategies Centre
• Moscow will not interfere in the delicate bilateral relations between India and China, expressing confidence that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are determined to resolve their long-standing boundary dispute amicably. The Hindu
• Xi will push Trump to deviate from longstanding US messaging on Taiwan. Atlantic Council
• President Biden is expected to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in a bid to manage rising tensions over Taiwan, trade and a deadlocked bilateral diplomatic agenda. The Council of Industry
• The significance constructive strategic stability that President Xi framed the meeting with President Trump may rest on two things: the potential $14 bln US arms package for Taiwan and the threat of new US tariffs on China. Marc to Market

Last updated: 03 August 2026