Trump should stay the course on China asia.nikkei.com/opinion/trum… via @NikkeiAsia "For sober, evidence-based thinking on the U.S.-China rivalry, consider a new appraisal in @IntSecHarvard by David Kang et al. It states categorically that "the vision of China that exists in Washington is dangerously wrong." Instead of plotting a rampage of conquest, the study concludes that China's aims are limited, regional in nature, and unambiguous: "China cares about its borders, its sovereignty, and its foreign economic relations." Moreover, these aims are not new and have been stable over time. Such objective thinking based on a deep probing of evidence could be helpful ahead of the summit between Xi and Trump. Candidly, we shouldn't expect much from this upcoming meeting. Yes, some modestly helpful steps could be agreed upon, whether concerning tariffs, a crackdown on fentanyl precursors, Nvidia microchips or potent DJI drones. But a much more productive setting would be a separate, two- or even three-day bilateral summit that more deeply probes the underlying tensions in the U.S.-China relationship. Senior U.S. officials might start with the recent modest Chinese proposal that Washington and Beijing reconceive of themselves as "friends and partners" in maintaining global peace and prosperity rather than as "strategic rivals.""

Guess in my recent op-ed in Time Magazine I really kicked a hornet's nest 😂. taipeitimes.com/News/front/a… Oh well, friends and colleagues (and leaders) in Taiwan need to get real. They need to understand that Uncle Sam is not going to save them from the angry Chinese dragon. Americans are sick and tired of fighting "endless wars" by getting stuck in other peoples' family quarrels. They are unlikely to go to war in order to rescue the beleaguered Republic of China -- especially if that involves nuclear risks -- as it inevitably will. BUT Taiwan's leaders have options if they would put ideology aside and consider some compromises that would still allow substantial autonomy. I discuss the myriad diplomatic options (including for Taipei) that are hardly ever seriously considered in new explainer "Target Taiwan: One China and Cross-Strait Stability." (below).