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President Trump returned to American soil after a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing that was billed as an attempt to stabilize U.S.-China relations even as deep disagreements roiled under the surface. The president met behind closed doors with Xi while the world watched tensions over Iran, trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan hover like a storm cloud over the talks. Americans should be grateful for any opening to reduce catastrophic conflict, but gratefulness must never become appeasement.
Beijing’s leader made no effort to hide that Taiwan is a red line, warning that disputes over the island could lead to clashes or conflict — language that should alarm every freedom-loving American. Xi’s saber-rattling is an unapologetic reminder that the Chinese Communist Party still pursues power through intimidation and coercion. We cannot pretend these are mere diplomatic niceties; they are explicit threats to an ally and to the rules that have kept the Indo-Pacific relatively stable for decades.
Back in the American camp, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was right to say U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and to bluntly warn that it would be “a terrible mistake” for China to seize the island by force. Rubio’s bluntness is the kind of clarity our adversaries respect far more than hand-wringing and equivocation from the left. Instead of lecturing America on moral relativism, conservative leadership must make clear there are consequences for aggression and guard our strategic interests vigorously.
Voices like Gordon Chang’s are sounding the alarm that Taiwan remains the critical test of American resolve, and their warnings deserve attention from policymakers and patriots alike. Taiwan is not only a thriving democracy; it is a linchpin for global semiconductor supply chains and a bulwark against Beijing’s expansionist designs. Any notion of trading away Taiwan’s security for fleeting advantages would be a historic betrayal of both principle and prudence.
This summit should sharpen, not soften, Washington’s spine: defend our allies, push back against intellectual-property theft and coercive economic practices, and keep a laser focus on deterrence in the Pacific. The president and his team must leverage American strength — economic, military and diplomatic — to ensure China understands that prosperity does not grant impunity for aggression. Hard power backed by clear political will is the conservative answer to a dangerous era, and the American people deserve nothing less than leaders who will stand up for liberty and keep our nation safe.
