The Rachman Review

Trump returns to Beijing: what’s at stake

May 14, 2026·31 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Gideon Rachman speaks to James Crabtree, former head of the Asia programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and author of The Perimeter, about Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, his first in a decade. What do Washington and Beijing hope to gain, and what does the trip reveal about the evolving balance of power between the world’s two leading superpowers?Free links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump’s plan to discuss Taiwan arms sales with Xi Jinping rattles Asian alliesTrump is up against China’s great wall of confidenceTrump’s war has given China an economic openingTrump, Xi and the bid for a ‘grand bargain’ between superpowers  Trump prepares to press Xi on Iran war Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Nisha Patel. Sound design is by Breen TurnerFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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