Scientists have planted American trees in China, Korea and elsewhere to attract hungry insects. Their hope is to identify the most damaging bugs before they cross the ocean.
President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan said he would be happy to speak with President Trump, a move that would defy U.S. diplomatic protocol and infuriate China.
Beijing’s acknowledgment on Wednesday that tariffs were discussed in talks with President Trump signals it was prepared to push back if the U.S. revives duties.
After President Trump hinted that weapons sales to Taiwan could figure in negotiations with China, officials emphasized their island’s strategic importance.
The lack of concrete agreements with Beijing shows the risks of President Trump’s personality-driven foreign policy, which rests on the belief that he can defend U.S. interests through charm and force of will.
The president said a potential arms deal for Taiwan was a “very good negotiating chip” in talks with Beijing. His words raise questions about the reliability of U.S. support.
The engagement between the president and the Chinese leader may have tested a decades-old U.S. assurance to Taiwan not to consult Beijing on the topic.
Having fought the Trump administration to a draw, China’s Xi Jinping is proposing “constructive strategic stability,” aimed at drawing lines he thinks the U.S. should not cross.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not say when these talks would happen. There are fears in the United States and China about the threats from A.I., but neither side is willing to slow down its development.
Chinese state media is depicting the summit as an opportunity for the United States to accept that the “right way” for the two powers to engage is as equals.
There are few issues in diplomacy more complicated than the status of the self-governing island, which China claims as its own. It is almost certain to come up when President Trump meets China’s leader.