Trump-Xi Summit Impacts Global Affairs; Middle Powers Quietly Form Alliances for Self-Preservation
As the Trump-Xi summit approaches, with a wide range of anticipated topics including trade, security, and AI development, middle powers are discreetly forming alliances and taking self-preservation measures to protect themselves from US-China tensions.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 13:14
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 13:31 (17 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 05:57 (16h 25m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington, 11th, comprehensive foreign report) US President Trump's visit to China from the 13th to 15th for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to touch upon a series of issues. Some interested middle powers have recently been cooperating with each other to avoid becoming sacrifices in the competition between the two major powers, the US and China.
The agenda for the Trump-Xi summit is expected to cover trade, technology, rare earth controls, Taiwan, the Iran war, and even artificial intelligence (AI) development.
The New York Times pointed out that Poland is about to introduce a production line for Korean tanks, Australia is purchasing warships from Japan, Canada will supply uranium to India, and India will provide cruise missiles to Vietnam, while Brazil is building military transport aircraft for the United Arab Emirates. All of these deals were finalized in the past few weeks.
Each of the aforementioned deals represents an effort by middle powers to protect their own interests, as the current Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, and the upcoming Trump-Xi summit also risks impacting the interests of other countries, especially since both Trump and Xi Jinping have used their significant influence in trade and security to coerce or punish other nations.
A Gallup poll in early April showed that in 2025, the US's global approval rating was 31%, while China's was 36%, highlighting that global trust in both the US and China is not high, and lack of trust in the US is even greater than in China. In response to the changing situation, smaller countries are now quietly forming alliances for self-preservation and trying not to provoke the giants.
Trump's intuitive approach to complex issues is a major source of anxiety for many countries. Hugh White, a former Australian intelligence official and now a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, said: "US allies must rely on each other because they can no longer rely on Washington, and this is a very real feeling."
White said this sentiment is much stronger than the "cautious wording" of leaders in public. Many allied officials admit that their countries must carefully maintain an outward appearance of loyalty to the US to avoid provoking Trump, while at the same time buying time to become self-reliant.
At the same time, many countries must also be careful not to provoke China. Unnamed diplomats revealed that when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave a speech at a university in Hanoi on May 2, Vietnamese officials even asked her not to directly criticize China. However, Japan and Vietnam still signed six agreements, including satellite data sharing and ensuring oil supply, showing that middle powers "do more than they say."
Robert O. Keohane, a professor of international relations at Princeton University, said: "The US has become less reliable, and it is reasonable to seek alternative ways to protect oneself. A weak alternative is better than no alternative at all."
US CNBC financial news network pointed out that China's previous control over the export of various rare earths and related magnetic materials, and the cutoff of chips to Nexperia in the Netherlands, once severely impacted the core supply chains of global automakers, and caused political and economic consequences in Europe, Japan, and South Korea. This means that leaders from Singapore to Brussels will closely watch the Trump-Xi summit from the sidelines.
Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said: "Almost everyone has a stake in the outcome of this Trump-Xi summit."
Eswar Prasad, a professor of economics at Cornell University, believes that the summit's outcome could have significant implications for global trade, geopolitics, and even the existing international order. "The whole world will hope that the two leaders can at least reach an agreement on some issues and find ways to avoid further escalating tensions on others."
However, CNBC also believes that even if the Trump-Xi summit meets expectations, it may still be unfavorable for the EU and Japan. Matt Gertken, chief strategist at BCA Research, pointed out that if Beijing agrees to purchase more US oil and natural gas, it could push up commodity prices, and if China commits to increasing investment in the US, it would crowd out Japan and Europe. (Compiler: Chen Yi-wei) 1150512
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(Central News Agency, Washington, 11th, comprehensive foreign report) US President Trump's visit to China from the 13th to 15th for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to touch upon a series of issues. Some interested middle powers have recently been cooperating with each other to avoid becoming sacrifices in the competition between the two major powers, the US and China.
The agenda for the Trump-Xi summit is expected to cover trade, technology, rare earth controls, Taiwan, the Iran war, and even artificial intelligence (AI) development.
The New York Times pointed out that Poland is about to introduce a production line for Korean tanks, Australia is purchasing warships from Japan, Canada will supply uranium to India, and India will provide cruise missiles to Vietnam, while Brazil is building military transport aircraft for the United Arab Emirates. All of these deals were finalized in the past few weeks.
Each of the aforementioned deals represents an effort by middle powers to protect their own interests, as the current Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, and the upcoming Trump-Xi summit also risks impacting the interests of other countries, especially since both Trump and Xi Jinping have used their significant influence in trade and security to coerce or punish other nations.
A Gallup poll in early April showed that in 2025, the US's global approval rating was 31%, while China's was 36%, highlighting that global trust in both the US and China is not high, and lack of trust in the US is even greater than in China. In response to the changing situation, smaller countries are now quietly forming alliances for self-preservation and trying not to provoke the giants.
Trump's intuitive approach to complex issues is a major source of anxiety for many countries. Hugh White, a former Australian intelligence official and now a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, said: "US allies must rely on each other because they can no longer rely on Washington, and this is a very real feeling."
White said this sentiment is much stronger than the "cautious wording" of leaders in public. Many allied officials admit that their countries must carefully maintain an outward appearance of loyalty to the US to avoid provoking Trump, while at the same time buying time to become self-reliant.
At the same time, many countries must also be careful not to provoke China. Unnamed diplomats revealed that when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave a speech at a university in Hanoi on May 2, Vietnamese officials even asked her not to directly criticize China. However, Japan and Vietnam still signed six agreements, including satellite data sharing and ensuring oil supply, showing that middle powers "do more than they say."
Robert O. Keohane, a professor of international relations at Princeton University, said: "The US has become less reliable, and it is reasonable to seek alternative ways to protect oneself. A weak alternative is better than no alternative at all."
US CNBC financial news network pointed out that China's previous control over the export of various rare earths and related magnetic materials, and the cutoff of chips to Nexperia in the Netherlands, once severely impacted the core supply chains of global automakers, and caused political and economic consequences in Europe, Japan, and South Korea. This means that leaders from Singapore to Brussels will closely watch the Trump-Xi summit from the sidelines.
Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said: "Almost everyone has a stake in the outcome of this Trump-Xi summit."
Eswar Prasad, a professor of economics at Cornell University, believes that the summit's outcome could have significant implications for global trade, geopolitics, and even the existing international order. "The whole world will hope that the two leaders can at least reach an agreement on some issues and find ways to avoid further escalating tensions on others."
However, CNBC also believes that even if the Trump-Xi summit meets expectations, it may still be unfavorable for the EU and Japan. Matt Gertken, chief strategist at BCA Research, pointed out that if Beijing agrees to purchase more US oil and natural gas, it could push up commodity prices, and if China commits to increasing investment in the US, it would crowd out Japan and Europe. (Compiler: Chen Yi-wei) 1150512
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.