China and USA: Friend or Foe

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

China covers about 9.6 million square kilometers (3.7 million square miles)  It ranks as the 3rd or 4th largest country in the world,  and is very close to the size of the United States.  

Even China has now come under pressure to send military support for the US effort in the Middle East. A highly anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was postponed this week, with Trump saying the ongoing war required he remain in Washington.

 Questions about the planned meeting in Beijing began to arise on Monday, following Trump’s threat to delay the summit should China refuse to help the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the request by reiterating its call “on parties to immediately stop military operations.”   

Earlier this week, President Trump threatened to delay his summit with President Xi unless China sent warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz—and then requested that delay after China refused. Where does that leave the US-China relationship? Is this a genuine rupture, or is it a negotiating tactic?  

President Donald Trump with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his state visit to China in 2026

Let’s say what that means for the US-China relationship more broadly. It seems to some writers that China right now is very keen to get into negotiations with the US side in general and with the president in particular. I think that they feel that there are a variety of areas—Taiwan is one, technology is probably another, and tariffs another—where they will find it extremely useful to be able to sit down with the Americans and talk to them.

                                 TAIWAN           

Military Aid and Sales: The U.S. routinely supplies defensive arms and military equipment to help Taiwan maintain self-defense capabilities, alongside ongoing bilateral military training and defense budget adjustments by Taipei
Strait Operations: U.S. Navy ships and aircraft frequently transit the Taiwan Strait to underscore international navigational rights and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, drawing frequent pushback from Beijing. 

Trade and Technology

Semiconductors: Surging global demand for artificial intelligence and advanced tech has made Taiwan a top-tier U.S. trading partner, anchored by massive investments from companies like TSMC in U.S. manufacturing facilities. 
Economic Agreements: Both sides engage through initiatives like the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and ongoing tariff and reciprocal trade discussions managed through AIT and TECRO
            WAR WITH USA -- IRAN

One of the indications that we have that the Chinese are keen to have the meeting was China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi's statement when the Iran war started. He said this was a war that should never have happened. It was not an outright condemnation of the United States or Israel, or indeed of   Iran. It was a more generalized statement of regret.  

                         CHINA --USA

The first direct high-level political meetings between the United States and the People's Republic of China took place on June 5, 1954, at the Geneva Conference in Switzerland, where delegations from both nations held direct talks regarding detained civilians and regional conflicts, following years of severed ties and the Korean War.

1955 Ambassadorial Talks: Formal, regular bilateral talks between the two countries began on August 1, 1955, held in Geneva and later Warsaw as a substitute for official diplomatic recognition.

1972 Nixon Visit: President Richard Nixon traveled to China in February 1972 for the first summit meeting between a sitting U.S. president and Chinese leadership, leading to the Shanghai Communiqué. 

Key Post-1972 Diplomatic Milestones

Normalization of Relations (1979): The Carter administration and Chinese leadership finalized full diplomatic ties.
Presidential Visits: Subsequent U.S. presidents—including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden—have held multiple official meetings and summits with Chinese leaders in both countries.
Ongoing Summits: Leaders and high-ranking cabinet officials continue regular geopolitical, economic, and security dialogues.

 Iran. It was a more generalized statement of regret.