The Economist.
Hi, I'm Sarah Wu, co-host of Drum Tower, our podcast about China.
Welcome to Editor's Picks.
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It is sometimes said, not least by President Donald Trump,
that America and China are now the G2, a duo of superpowers leading the world.
That is a grim thought.
One has a leader who treats allies like patsies and is ripping apart the institutions
that underpinned global stability for decades.
The other has an authoritarian regime that bullies its neighbors and is quietly
stoking foreign conflicts it could help defuse.
Worse, the two countries treat their mutual entanglements on technology and trade as security risks,
so the stakes will be huge when Mr. Trump visits Xi Jinping,
China's paramount leader, in Beijing on May 14 and 15, the first of four expected meetings before the end of 2026.
The coming six months could shape ties for years,
with consequences from artificial intelligence, or AI, to supply chains and Taiwan to Iran.
Tensions between the two governments run so deep that it would be naive to expect a breakthrough.
Had they more skill and humility, Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi could head off the most harmful conflicts and find areas
where they could work together for everyone's benefit.