Keep pulling the thread on Julian Gertz.
Over the last 18 months, China has exerted an unprecedented degree of leverage over the United States through its control of critical minerals and the institution of a global export control regime.
President Xi Jinping seeks a period of stability in the U.S.-China relationship to buy time and strengthen China's national capabilities.
Julian Gertz believes Xi Jinping will use the upcoming summit to press President Trump on U.S. support for Taiwan, including declaratory language and arms sales.
A significant part of China's current strategy is to influence Taiwan's domestic politics and demoralize its population ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
In response to new U.S. sanctions, China has deployed legal instruments that instruct Chinese entities not to comply with them.
The U.S. war in Iran has alienated international partners and significantly depleted U.S. military stockpiles.
China's Minister of State Security, Chen Yi Xin, publicly assessed that the United States' democracy is mutating, its economy is decaying, and its global hegemony is crumbling.
According to John Bolton's book, President Trump indicated to Xi Jinping that he should proceed with building internment camps in Xinjiang.
A hypothetical pro-China assessment would note that the U.S. has moved strategic assets, including the THAAD missile defense system, out of Asia to support the war in Iran, impacting U.S. readiness.
China's Minister of State Security has acknowledged that AI-enabled capabilities represent the future of warfare.
China's use of economic leverage, including export controls, has placed the United States in a defensive strategic position.
Julian Gertz believes Mao Zedong's strategic thought, particularly the concept of a "people's war," has had a significant shaping influence on Xi Jinping's current approach to the United States.