In a matter of hours, President Donald Trump will sit down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in six years to determine whether America will remain a technological superpower or, if Xi gets his way, becomes an agrarian commune beholden to Beijing.

The stakes really are that high. Allow me to explain.

In November 2017, I accompanied President Trump on his state visit to Beijing, serving as his senior Asia staffer. One of our meetings was with then-Premier Li Keqiang, who delivered a pointed message that his boss, Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, apparently preferred not to deliver himself.