OPINION:
The May 2026 Trump-Xi summit revealed a dangerous temptation in American foreign policy: the desire to substitute comforting illusions for strategic clarity.
But illusions do not preserve peace. They invite aggression. The free world must reject Beijing’s false narratives and recognize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for what it is: an authoritarian regime fundamentally hostile to liberty, transparency, democratic civilization and America and all that we represent…
1. The myth of the “Thucydides Trap”
The Beijing summit revived the tired mythology of the “Thucydides Trap,” the claim that conflict between the United States and China is inevitable because a rising China is displacing a declining America. This theory is not only intellectually bankrupt, but also historically erroneous, because the rising power was defeated in the Peloponnesian war that Thucydides masterfully documented.
Xi Jinping himself is trapped… by Marxist-Leninist dogma, which insists capitalism is collapsing and communist victory triumphantly inexorable…
America remains the world’s leading military, technological and financial power; the global hub of innovation and inspiration; and the only superpower capable of shaping global security, trade and alliance environments.
China, meanwhile, faces demographic collapse, economic stagnation, mass unemployment, popular disenchantment and elite political instability. More importantly, the real divide is not “China versus America” but communist China versus the entire free world.
2. Taiwan is not the core issue
Beijing insists that Taiwan is “the most important issue” in U.S.-China relations. This is false. The central issue is the irreconcilable conflict between the CCP’s authoritarian ideology and the democratic principles of the free world. Taiwan merely exposes and amplifies that contradiction…
3. Taiwan is already independent
Beijing falsely claims that “Taiwan going independent” is provoking instability across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is already independent in every meaningful sense: It has its own government, military, constitution, elections, currency and borders. The Republic of China on Taiwan has never been governed by the People’s Republic of China for a single day…
4. Taiwan does not belong to communist China
The summit repeated the falsehood that Taiwan “belongs to China.” History, law, and political reality say otherwise.
Beijing’s obsession with Taiwan is not about territorial integrity but revolutionary ideology… an expansionist ideological compulsion… Beijing threatens Japan in the East China Sea, intimidates the Philippines in the South China Sea, pressures India along the Himalayas, menaces Vietnam, and bullies virtually every neighboring state. Taiwan is not the end goal; it is the opening objective.
5. Xi Jinping is not a master strategist
Many summit observers portrayed Mr. Xi as a visionary statesman shaping a new world order of peace and stability. In reality, he is increasingly weak both domestically and internationally.
Under his rule, China’s economy is deteriorating under massive debt, collapsing consumer confidence, and youth unemployment. Political purges inside the Politburo and the People’s Liberation Army reveal deep instability within the regime… China’s dependence on Western export markets and imported energy also leaves the regime strategically vulnerable. Beijing’s military setbacks and the poor reputation of Chinese weapons systems abroad have further damaged CCP prestige.
6. China is not truly open for business
The summit promoted the illusion that China remains open to foreign business… China’s anti-espionage laws, forced technology transfers, arbitrary regulations, data restrictions and political crackdowns have made the country deeply unattractive for investment.
The CCP demands market access abroad while imposing Orwellian controls at home. Decoupling is no longer theoretical but a fast-developing reality.
7. Communist China is not peace-loving
Beijing continues to market itself as a “peace-loving nation.” History says otherwise. Communist China has consistently relied on coercion, intimidation and aggression…
Today, China conducts near-daily military intimidation against Taiwan while threatening neighboring states. A regime that openly prepares for war while threatening democratic nations cannot credibly claim to be a force for peace.
8. “Win-win cooperation” is a dangerous illusion
Summit advocates claimed that U.S.-China cooperation can succeed without addressing democracy, human rights, political repression or China’s predatory economic model. This fantasy ignores the nature of the CCP system itself…
[and] there can be no genuine stability while the CCP continues genocide against Uyghurs, dismantles Hong Kong freedoms, weaponizes trade, steals intellectual property and suppresses basic liberties…
9. “Mutual respect” is Beijing’s propaganda trap
Beijing repeatedly insists the root problem in bilateral relations is that America “does not respect China.” This slogan is deliberately manipulative.
The U.S. respects the Chinese people and Chinese civilization. What it refuses to respect is the CCP’s demand for deference and immunity from criticism… Respect cannot mean surrendering truth or abandoning democratic values.
10. The CCP does not represent China
Perhaps the biggest falsehood of all is the claim that the CCP represents China and the Chinese people. It does not. The CCP is a Leninist ruling apparatus of European origin that maintains power through censorship, surveillance, coercion and fear.
Chinese civilization is thousands of years old; the CCP has ruled for less than eight decades. Millions of Chinese citizens themselves seek freedom, dignity and opportunity outside party control. To criticize the CCP is not to attack China. On the contrary, separating China from the CCP is essential to understanding both.
• Miles Yu is the director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute. His “Red Horizon” column appears every other Tuesday in The Washington Times. He can be reached at mmilesyu@gmail.com. These excerpts are from an article first published on May 25, 2026.
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