The View From India newsletter: U.S. – China — a temporary truce

It is perhaps the prevailing impulse of our times: leaders seeking a semblance of stability even as differences and tensions endure. There are no significant breakthroughs, certainly no resolution of conflicts, but there is an unmistakable desire to say: “Things are okay. Ish.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China last week showed that yet again. Taiwan, for one, remains a sensitive issue. Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting U.S. President that relations could descend to “clashes and conflicts” if the Taiwan question, which he described as “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations”, was not managed properly, according to the Chinese readout of the talks.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump maintained that the U.S. and China “settled a lot of problems” . Following a grand ceremonial reception and state banquet on the first day of his visit, Mr. Trump was on Friday (May 15, 2026) hosted by Mr. Xi in the Chinese leadership’s expansive Zhongnanhai compound, where the two leaders walked and drank tea, our China Correspondent Ananth Krishnan wrote from Beijing. “We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Mr. Trump said in his opening remarks, before their private talks. “The relationship is a very strong one.”

Later, speaking to the media speaking aboard Air Force One on the way back to the U.S., Mr. Trump said: “President Xi and I talked a lot about Taiwan…. He’s against very much what they’re doing. We talked about Taiwan and Iran a lot. I think we have a very good understanding on both. On Taiwan, he does not want to see a fight for independence. I heard him out, I did not make a comment on it. I have a lot of respect for him.” While world accuses the U.S. or triggering and backing more than one ongoing war, he added: “The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away”. Read Ananth Krishnan’s report.

How far can this tentative truce and performative stability go? As The Hindu’s editorial noted: “Mr. Xi offered a new label for ties, calling for “a constructive relationship of strategic stability” for the remaining years of Mr. Trump’s term and beyond. If both agree on the need for some stability, their priorities appear to differ. Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump that Taiwan was the most important issue in the relationship, which could descend into conflict if not properly managed. The U.S. stance on Taiwan remains unchanged, which includes substantial arms sales.” Meanwhile, “Standing up to U.S. pressure, while managing difficult relations with an increasingly confident China, will be two key tests of India’s diplomacy in the years to come. Reinforcing India’s strategic autonomy and independence, rather than diluting it, will offer the best path forward,” it contended.

For a comprehensive analysis of why Mr. Trump really visited China amid its war with Iran, and what the key takeaways were, read this piece by Anand V., Assistant Professor of Geopolitics and International Relations at the Manipal Institute of Social Sciences. As he explains, the visit leaves many questions unanswered.

Top 5 stories we are reading this week:

1. Trade, energy, discussions on global conflicts to top agenda for Modi’s Nordic visit, writes Suhasini Haidar

2. Sri Lanka civil war: 17 years later, the imprints remain

3. BRICS members agree on ‘independent’ State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as capital, Kallol Bhattacherjee reports

4. Stuttering Starmer: The Hindu editorial on the Labour leadership crisis

5. Elusive peace:The Hindu editorial on the Russia-Ukraine war