During Trump’s visit, Washington has an opportunity to send a restrained but clear signal that it is willing to work with China to manage risks
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenShen YiProfessor Shen Yi is executive director at the Centre for National Security Studies, Fudan University. Published: 8:30pm, 12 May 2026As US President Donald Trump prepares to visit China, Taiwan is again one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations. For Washington, this is not only a question about the Taiwan Strait. It is a strategic choice that bears on whether the United States can avoid a comprehensive conflict with China, stabilise markets and secure Chinese cooperation on trade, artificial intelligence (AI), Iran and the wider Middle East.This could be the moment when a clear US stance against Taiwan independence would carry the lowest cost and yield the highest return.
If the Taiwan Strait spirals out of control, China and the US would risk a systemic confrontation affecting finance, supply chains, energy markets and military security. This would serve neither China’s interests nor those of the US, and certainly not those of Asia or the wider world.
