# Trump’s China Summit Needs More Than a Trade Truce 

A renewed trade truce with China may be achievable, but it leaves the deeper political-military tensions untouched.

May 14, 2026 • News Releases 

The Iran war is pulling American attention away from Asia at a critical moment. As President Donald Trump visits Beijing for the first time in nearly a decade, Cato’s [Evan Sankey](https://www.cato.org/people/evan-sankey) argues that the administration is aiming too low.

A renewed trade truce with China may be achievable, but it leaves the deeper political-military tensions untouched. Mutual strategic distrust, Taiwan, and the declining credibility of the “One China” framework remain the structural fault lines most likely to produce a crisis. Sankey’s [new analysis](https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-should-be-more-ambitious-with-china/) makes the case for engaging these harder questions directly and outlines what reciprocal measures might look like.

If you’d like to speak with Sankey, please contact Madison: [mmiller@​cato.​org](mailto:mmiller@cato.org).

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