Donald Trump traveled to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping in the first bilateral meeting in nine years. The official agenda revolved around the tariff truce and trade tensions, with Taiwan and Iran as a backdrop. Both leaders seek to reset a relationship that has been at a standstill, although the gestures of détente do not hide the deep strategic differences.
Starlink and the military shadow at the Beijing summit 🛰️
During the summit, it was leaked that Trump's technical team evaluated the deployment of Starlink terminals in Southeast Asia as a counterweight to Chinese influence. SpaceX technology enables encrypted communications and data links in conflict zones. Beijing, for its part, presented its own low-orbit satellite system, Qianfan, designed to compete directly and guarantee digital sovereignty. Both projects reflect that the trade war is also being fought in space.
The tariff truce that ended in a dim sum order 🥟
After hours discussing tariffs, the US delegation requested a break to enjoy dim sum at a restaurant near the Great Wall. The anecdote reveals that while technical teams negotiated clauses, Trump's advisors debated whether the Peking duck violated the tariff truce. In the end, Xi gifted a basket of exotic fruits; Trump, a bottle of bourbon. Peace, like the menu, remained half-baked.