CHINA TO BUY 200 BOEING JETS FOLLOWING TRUMP-XI SUMMIT
China's Commerce Ministry has confirmed a deal to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft following the mid-May bilateral summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Under the agreement, Washington will provide supply guarantees for aircraft engine components, and both sides agreed to extend their October tariff truce and pursue mutual tariff cuts on more than $30 billion in goods. The high-profile U.S. delegation included Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who said the deal is an initial step toward a projected 750-plane order. "We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft. This included an initial commitment for 200 aircraft and we expect further commitments will follow after this initial tranche," the company said in a statement. (BBC, May 19, 2026)
U.S. ARMS SALES TO TAIWAN UNRELATED TO IRAN WAR
According to one U.S. official, a pending $14 billion arms package for Taiwan is unaffected by the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, contradicting recent Senate testimony by acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao. Cao told Congress that Taipei's procurement was paused to preserve munitions for Operation Epic Fury. "These sales take years to process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury. The U.S. military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump's strategic goals and beyond," said the unnamed Administration source. President Trump is still considering the $11 billion package for Taiwan, which was approved by Congress in December. The U.S. is legally bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. (Reuters, May 23, 2026)
XI AND PUTIN TOUT TIES, WARN OF U.S. "HEGEMONIC COUNTERCURRENTS"...
A few days after President Trump's visit, Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing. Describing bilateral ties as "unyielding" and at an "unprecedentedly high level," the two leaders declared their shared opposition to U.S. "unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents." They also renewed their Treaty of Friendly Cooperation and signed various trade, media, and energy cooperation agreements. While Xi called for a "comprehensive ceasefire" between the U.S. and Iran to protect energy supplies, Putin described Russia as a "reliable supplier" during the crisis. Moscow praised Beijing's "objective" stance on Ukraine, as China continues to provide vital economic support and dual-use exports to Russia. Still, there was no breakthrough on the proposed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline, which Moscow has been pushing for years and could carry 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year into China. (CBS, May 20, 2026)
...AND CONDEMN TRUMP'S "GOLDEN DOME"
During their summit in Beijing, Xi and Putin also issued a joint statement condemning the Trump administration's planned "Golden Dome" missile defense initiative. They claim the space- and ground-based interception project destabilizes global security by decoupling strategic offensive and defensive capabilities. "The U.S. 'Golden Dome' project, which aims to build an unlimited, multi-level, multi-sphere, and global missile defence system to destroy all types of missiles, including all types of 'peer adversaries' missiles, at all stages of their flight and before they are launched, poses an obvious threat to strategic stability," read their joint statement. They also criticized Washington's "irresponsible policy" to allow the 2010 New START arms control treaty to lapse earlier this year. Moscow backed Beijing's refusal to join trilateral arms control talks, rejecting the U.S. position that restrictions must account for China's nuclear buildup as well. Meanwhile, Russian TV broadcast images of troops delivering nuclear warheads to mobile Iskander-M missile launch systems, loading them and moving them to launch sites as part of a major nuclear exercise across Russia and Belarus. (Reuters, May 20, 2026)
MOSCOW, BEIJING RALLY FOR RAÚL CASTRO
Beijing and Moscow have additionally teamed up to strongly condemn Washington's indictment of 94-year-old former Cuban President Raúl Castro and other Cuban nationals for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft. A PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson slammed U.S. "big stick" judicial actions and unilateral sanctions, while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the move as "gross interference" in Cuba's internal affairs. (Newsweek, May 21, 2026)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Castro's indictment has fueled speculation that the White House could pursue similar action against the Cuban leadership to that taken in January against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was seized in a U.S. military raid that killed dozens of Cuban bodyguards and subsequently transported to New York, where he now faces narcoterrorism charges filed during Trump's first term in office.]
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