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School of War

School of War

Trump Heads to China: Who Has the Upper Hand? With Dan Blumenthal

School of War · May 12, 2026 · 37:48

0:0037:48

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Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the president’s upcoming summit in Beijing with President Xi Jinping. What are President Trump’s goals? How will war with Iran affect the meeting? And what do these discussions mean for the future of conflict in the Indo-Pacific?

02:12 Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping

03:38 Trump’s goals at summit

04:48 China’s leverage over Iran

05:57 China’s principal interest in the Middle East

08:14 U.S. sanctions on Iran and China

10:22 China’s diversified energy imports

13:05 American-Chinese competition

15:34 Defense industrial base issues

16:03 AI factor

16:34 China’s industrial leverage

19:05 Economic showdown

24:43 The Taiwan issue

26:22 Global conflict lessons for Taiwan

28:46 Division of Taiwanese politics

31:46 Stakes for the future

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find more at The Free Press.


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Episodes: School of War

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