Day: May 12, 2026

As Trump prepares for his visit to China from Wednesday to Friday – the first by an American president in almost nine years – all eyes will not only be on the summit agenda, but also on the carefully choreographed details surrounding the reception, including sites featured in the itinerary. The focus is expected to fall on the Temple of Heaven Unesco World Heritage site, a centuries-old imperial complex associated with ritual, cosmic order and political authority. Why Xi Jinping is hosting world leaders in China instead of travelling abroad…

After the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, which almost doubled the size of the United States’ territory, US president Thomas Jefferson commissioned the legendary Lewis and Clark expedition, which surveyed new routes from the Missouri river to the Pacific coast. It also carried out work in agriculture, ethnography (with indigenous peoples) and geography. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, that was the kind of science the US government was willing to pay for – practical, applicable (especially to the military) and, where possible, profitable. It would be absurd…

Beijing intensified security and prepared key venues on Tuesday as the Chinese capital awaited the arrival of US President Donald Trump and his high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. Trump is expected to stay at the five-star Four Seasons Hotel in northeastern Beijing after arriving on Wednesday night. His delegation is expected to stay at the nearby Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yansha Centre. While neither country has officially disclosed the delegation’s lodging, rooms at the two hotels are now unavailable for booking from Tuesday through Thursday. Advertisement…

The United States announced on Tuesday that it would send a delegation to the second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2026 Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings in China this month, just hours after US President Donald Trump departed for Beijing ahead of a high-stakes summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The US delegation will head to Shanghai and Suzhou from May 11 to 24 to “continue advancing ‘America first’ foreign, trade, and investment policies,” according to the US Department of State. The first Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) took place…

Against the backdrop of a shifting diplomatic landscape, US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit. While Washington frames the visit, delayed by the war in Iran, as a pivotal effort to rebalance ties, the bravado of maximum pressure masks a deepening domestic vulnerability. Trump’s arrival comes at a critical juncture; his administration faces multiple crises. The looming 2026 midterms have intensified pressure from a restless agricultural heartland and conglomerates frustrated by fragmented supply chains, all while stubborn inflation continues to sour…