In this episode, I sit down with China analyst Gordon Chang to understand his view of the recent Trump–Xi talks in Beijing.

Who had the upper hand? Why did President Donald Trump take 17 CEOs of America’s largest corporations with him? And what was accomplished?

While Xi Jinping tries to present America as a declining power and China as an ascending one, the reality is that China faces several grave problems, Chang says: a collapsing demography, an ailing economy, and a military in disarray after a series of purges.

But China also holds two strong cards: a near-monopoly on rare-earth processing and on critical pharmaceutical precursors.

At the same time, China is winning the information war, Chang argues.

“Xi Jinping has been beating the crap out of us in the information warfare space, and that’s our fault,” he said.

Where is the future of U.S.–China relations headed? Will Trump call Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te—something no U.S. president has done in 47 years? How are shifting alliances in the region reshaping the geopolitical chessboard? And how close are we to a major confrontation? Is the “Thucydides Trap” narrative real?

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.