Chinese greeting to Trump: why Xi’s victory worries Ukraine and Israel

Donald Trump’s visit to China was supposed to be a demonstration of American strength. According to the White House’s plan, the US president was to arrive in Beijing as a leader capable of speaking toughly with Xi Jinping — about trade, Taiwan, Iran, rare earth metals, and the new architecture of global balance.

In reality, it turned out differently.

China gave Trump a lavish reception, showed symbols of imperial and party power, provided plenty of beautiful images for the cameras, but on the main issues left Washington without a clear breakthrough. The focus of the negotiations was Taiwan — and it was on this topic that Beijing, judging by public signals after the meeting, achieved caution from the US, which has already caused concern in Taipei.

For Israel, this story is important not only as another episode of US-China confrontation. It shows how great powers bargain over allies, territories, routes, weapons, and future wars. In this logic, Taiwan, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Iran become parts of one large system of pressure.

Beijing gave Trump a ceremony, but not a victory.

Trump’s first visit to China in many years took place against the backdrop of great expectations. The American delegation included politicians, business representatives, and people associated with major corporations. China, on its part, focused on symbolism: reception, banquet, walks, closed spaces of power, demonstration of history, and personal access to Xi Jinping.

Such diplomacy is rarely accidental.

Beijing knows how to turn a ceremony into a political message. When a guest is shown the greatness of the state, ancient gardens, halls of power, and a long historical perspective, they are simultaneously reminded: China does not intend to behave like a junior partner. It sees itself as a civilizational center that can wait, pressure, and bargain for a long time.

According to The Guardian, the visit provided a lot of pomp and symbols, but few concrete results: key topics — Taiwan, Iran, trade, rare earth elements, and technological restrictions — remained without a convincing breakthrough.

What was left behind the beautiful picture

The Trump administration talked about possible major deals, including the purchase of Boeing aircraft and the expansion of trade agreements. But an important detail is that not all of Washington’s loud statements received the same clear confirmation from Beijing.

This is already a problem.

If one side talks about a ‘big deal,’ and the other prefers to remain silent or formulates everything much more cautiously, it means the negotiation result remains in question. For Trump, who builds his political style on the image of a dealmaker, such uncertainty looks weaker than the ceremonial photos from Beijing.

The Chinese side, on the contrary, had the opportunity to show internal and external audiences calm confidence. Xi Jinping received the American president on his territory, outlined red lines, and did not look like someone in a hurry to concede.

That is why the original Ukrainian material from TSN presents this visit as a failure for the White House: instead of negotiations ‘from a position of strength,’ Trump faced tough signals from Beijing on Taiwan and the future US-China balance.

Taiwan became the main nerve of the meeting.

The most sensitive issue — Taiwan.

Before and after the summit, it became clear that Beijing is seeking a revision of Washington’s approach to military support for the island. It concerns a large arms package for Taiwan: Reuters writes that after Trump’s statement that the decision on future supplies has not yet been made, Taipei once again emphasized the strategic importance of American weapons for deterring China.

This was a worrying moment.

For decades, the US maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity: it did not recognize Taiwan’s independence as a separate state in a formal diplomatic sense, but at the same time helped the island defend itself and did not allow Beijing to consider a forceful scenario safe. Now, the very fact of publicly discussing the arms package with Xi is perceived by Taiwan as a risk.

PBS reminded of an important detail: one of the ‘Six Assurances’ the US gave to Taiwan is that Washington did not agree to consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taipei. Therefore, any signals that China might influence such decisions are especially painful for the island.

Why Trump’s words were a cold shower for Taipei

After the negotiations, Trump did not give a firm answer on whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. He also stated that the decision on arms sales would be made later.

For diplomacy, this may sound like ordinary caution.

For Taiwan — like a dangerous pause.

The New York Post reported that Trump spoke about the need to ‘cool down’ the rhetoric between China and Taiwan and was in no hurry to confirm support for a new arms package. In the same logic, he used the topic of supplies as an element of negotiations with Beijing, rather than as a separate commitment to Taipei.

This is exactly what China is striving for: to turn Taiwan from a US partner into a subject of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

For Israel, this sounds familiar. Small and medium democracies in a dangerous environment always closely watch how great allies behave under pressure. Because the question is not only about weapons. The question is whether the ally considers your security part of their strategy or a bargaining chip in a larger game.

In this context, NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency sees the main risk of Trump’s Beijing visit not in the absence of a loud deal, but in the shift of emphasis: China tested how far the US is willing to go in caution if trade, rare earth elements, Iran, and global competition are on the table.

Why Beijing is waiting for Putin after Trump

Another important signal is Putin’s upcoming visit to China. In the original TSN material, this episode is presented as part of a broader picture: immediately after contacts with the American president, Xi is preparing to receive the Russian leader, and this enhances the symbolic effect.

Here, the sequence of meetings is not the only important thing.

China shows that it can talk to the US, bargain with them, receive Trump with maximum pomp — and at the same time maintain a strategic link with Russia. For Washington, this is an unpleasant reminder: Beijing does not intend to choose between dialogue with America and partnership with Moscow if it can use both directions in its interests.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, tensions around Iran, and threats in the Strait of Hormuz, this link becomes even more significant. Trump reported that he discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war with Xi, but, as follows from reports after the visit, Ukraine did not become the central topic of negotiations. The Guardian also noted that among the major issues of the summit were Iran, Taiwan, and trade, but no significant results emerged.

What this changes for Ukraine and Israel

For Ukraine, this picture is unpleasant: if Beijing feels that Washington is forced to consider China on several fronts at once, Moscow gains more room for maneuver. Russia remains for China not an equal partner, but a useful tool for pressure on the West.

For Israel, the risk is different, but the logic is similar.

When the US simultaneously tries to contain China, restrain Iran, support allies, manage trade competition, and prevent a new war around Taiwan, each region begins to fight for a place in the American agenda. The Middle East in such a situation does not disappear, but becomes part of a large overloaded board.

That is why Trump’s visit to China cannot be assessed only by banquets, handshakes, and statements of friendship. The main outcome is that Beijing managed to put Taiwan at the center of the conversation, did not give Washington an obvious diplomatic victory, and showed that its dialogue with the US does not prevent it from strengthening relations with Russia.

For Trump, it was a visit where the picture looked rich, but the political result turned out to be much poorer.

For Xi — an opportunity to demonstrate patience, control, and confidence.

And for Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel — another reminder: in the era of a new struggle of great powers, the security of allies depends not on beautiful ceremonies, but on whether a strong partner is ready to pay the price for deterring an aggressor before a new war begins.