In his Fox News Interview after his return from China, President Trump said,

“When you look at the odds, China is very, very powerful, big country. That’s a very small island. Think of it, it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9500 miles away. That’s a little bit of a difficult problem. Taiwan was developed because we had presidents that didn’t know what the hell they were doing. They stole our chip industry.”

That means, Trump has understood China’s paramount Leader Xi Jinping’s warning that Beijing and Washington will “have clashes and even conflicts” if the issue is not handled properly, the Thucydides Trap. the risk for war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing superpower. It’s interesting that Xi every now and then mentions it in the context of the US-China relationship.

Russia’s Putin is about to visit Xi next week, just days after Trump has left. They will certainly discuss the Ukraine, Taiwan and Iran.

President Trump won’t interfere when Xi will put more pressure on Taiwan in China’s sphere of influence. Trump has not officially stopped weapons sales to Taiwan but is currently withholding approval of a major arms package. 

As regards the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the  situation has only become more difficult for Trump. In fact, there is no solution in sight. While China would appreciate an opening of the Strait, it may offer only some diplomatic assistance in the row between Trump and the Iranian leadership.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had also been in Beijing, one week before Trump. Trump is increasingly being isolated. He may eventually realize that he has stepped into another trap, Netanjahu’s.

16 May 2026 @ 17:40 UTC+2.

Last modified May 16, 2026.