Xi got Trump to hedge on a multibillion-dollar Taiwan arms sale and gave up nothing in return.
After 43 hours in Beijing, Trump said he had not decided whether to proceed with the sale — Washington Post. 1/
Xi pursued stability above all else.
He framed the summit as a "constructive, strategically stable relationship." Chinese state media said the framework should guide US-China ties through Trump's term and beyond. 2/
Xi opened with Taiwan. He told Trump that crossing Beijing's red lines would bring "clashes and conflicts."
Trump then told Fox News he had not decided whether to proceed with a multibillion-dollar weapons sale to Taipei. 3/
Russia is running out of people for its war in Ukraine — so Putin is handing out passports in Transnistria.
Putin signed a decree allowing residents of Moldova's breakaway region to obtain Russian citizenship without living in Russia or speaking Russian — Politico. 1/
Moldovan President Maia Sandu: "Probably they need more people to send to the war in Ukraine." 2/
Sandu added that since the start of the full-scale war most Transnistria residents have themselves taken Moldovan citizenship because they felt safer holding a Moldovan passport than a Russian one. 3/
Rachman, FT: "The current wars in Ukraine and Iran underline how foolish it is to assume that a military superpower will always win a war against a smaller country."
China's assumption that Taiwan would be helpless without American support is a dangerous mistake.
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Ukraine has no navy — yet forced the Russian navy out of the Black Sea. Iran's navy was reportedly destroyed — yet Tehran keeps the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed with drones, missiles and speedboats.
Naval superpowers are increasingly vulnerable to cheap weapons.
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Taiwan's strengths: a top-20 global economy, 90%+ of the world's most advanced semiconductors, its own anti-ship missiles and drones, and the natural protection of being an island.
China would need one of the most ambitious seaborne invasions in history.
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