Inside Beijing's Strategy: The Trump-Xi Summit, Taiwan & the Tech War with Chris Johnson

With the Trump-Xi summit approaching, former CIA senior China analyst Chris Johnson joins “Intel at the Edge” to give an unvarnished assessment of Beijing's priorities, Xi Jinping's mindset, and how China is navigating an increasingly unpredictable America.  Chris draws on over two decades in the US intelligence and foreign affairs communities to explain what Xi really wants from this summit, how the rare earth standoff reshaped the bilateral relationship, and why China's long-term focus is breaking America's technological chokehold — not winning a diplomatic photo op. 00:00 - Introduction & Guest Bio  01:35 - How Important Is the Summit to Xi Jinping?  03:17 - Xi's Real Goal: Stability Over Diplomacy  04:41 - How Beijing Is Briefing Xi on Trump  05:01 - Xi's Gamble: The Rare Earth Sword & Staring Trump Down  06:07 - The Other Side: US Hegemonism Is on the Prowl  07:13 - The Wounded Animal: How Beijing Reads America Right Now  07:37 - Xi's Play: Buy Trump Off & Wait Him Out  20:10 - What Xi Will Put on the Table on Taiwan  21:18 - Xi's Real Priority: Breaking the Semiconductor Chokehold  26:14 - Summit Timing & Xi's Return Visit Window  27:02 - The Atmospherics: How China Stages These Meetings  28:20 - Trump Treats Xi as an Equal — And Xi Knows It  28:40 - "Trump Sees Xi as a Badass"  29:57 - How Confident Is Beijing About Winning the Long Game?  30:21 - Short Term Confident, Long Term Uncertain  31:22 - China's Real Problems: Demographics, Debt & the Economy  32:31 - What Keeps Xi Up at Night  32:53 - Closing Remarks   Intel at the Edge Podcast is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.