As President Donald Trump prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) isn't exactly brimming with confidence. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" with host Shannon Bream, Reed described Trump as entering the summit in a "terribly weakened" state.
Reed's assessment comes at a fraught moment. The U.S. is locked in a stalemate with Iran, with Tehran holding a significant portion of the world's oil at risk due to military restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. At home, Americans are feeling the pinch from rising gas and grocery prices. Not exactly the ideal backdrop for high-stakes diplomacy.
The summit, scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Beijing, marks the first in-person meeting between Trump and Xi since October. The U.S. wants a lasting resolution to hostilities with Iran, but China has told its companies to ignore U.S. sanctions on its refineries. That's a clear signal that Beijing isn't planning to play ball.
Reed also pointed out a strategic cost: the U.S. military's focus has shifted from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East due to the Iran conflict. That means less attention on China, which is exactly what Beijing wants. "Our military readiness against China has been impacted," Reed noted.
The economic strain is real. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently warned that the Iran war could cost over $1 trillion, potentially hitting American households hard. That's a lot of pressure on Trump as he sits down with Xi.
On the bright side, the Trump administration is reportedly looking to start official AI dialogue with China during the summit, aiming to manage the growing rivalry in artificial intelligence. But it's not clear how much progress can be made when the broader relationship is so tense.
To add another layer of complexity, China and Iran recently held a strategic meeting, signaling that Tehran has options beyond the U.S. So Trump heads to Beijing with a weak hand, and Xi knows it.
