Former White House China director Matt Turpin on Trump’s trip to Beijing

As US President Donald Trump prepares to arrive in Beijing for two days of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, we’re joined by Matt Turpin, who was director for China in the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term. The world’s two most powerful leaders have unusual latitude to make decisions uninhibited by their respective political systems but both also face challenges amid a deteriorating international environment and economic challenges at home. Matt, a former Army officer and now a senior advisor at Palantir Technologies and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, talks about what to expect from the visit, the positions of the two leaders, the international context, and most importantly the underlying shifts in the US-China economic relationship. Washington’s move away from pushing Beijing to adhere to fair and rules-based trade, towards what’s known as “managed trade”, is exemplified by a proposal for a Board of Trade which Matt explains. He lays out a way forward for rule-abiding countries to trade with one another while diversifying away from China. He explains his idea of disentanglement between the US and China for sensitive materials and technologies, and he assesses the situation for artificial intelligence and Taiwan which are other issues expected to feature over the next two days. It’s a very useful analysis even if you don’t get a chance to listen before the meetings on Thursday and Friday. Check out Matt’s Substack at https://chinaarticles.substack.com/