Some might say this is precisely why Trump must emasculate the Mullahs and upend the regime such that it can be replaced with something far less toxic, less threatening, more friendly to its citizenry and amenable to its neighbors (and to the wider world).

Venezuela should have been seen as a message.
The Islamic Republic(!) of Iran ought to become a message, too.

Guess we’ll have to see who’s good at getting messages…and who isn’t.

However, the façade presented by these images and statistics hides realities which are not so advanced, progressive, or pretty.

Take for instance, the enormous dystopian slum which is Shipai village in Guangzhou, home to a reported 100,000 people. *

• See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1olgmbMuYi4

And https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uTzvMJziEw#ddg-play

I haven’t read much speculation on that point, just “wow! look!” stories.
However, my speculation is that President Trump had a couple of purposes, as he usually does. The implication, which was almost certainly never stated aloud, would run on these lines:
“Here are the people who own or run the companies China is stealing from, negotiating with, running business for already, etc. They have supposedly been dealing with you, Chairman Xi, but through not-always-trustworthy intermediaries, but now YOU can talk to them all in person, not second-hand.”

“Also, whatever we all say to each other is private, guaranteed.”

(A number of people have commented on the lack of leaks in 47’s administration, as revealed by some posts I’ve read about how the Democrats are floundering for narratives and information.
And then the Americans scorched the Chinese hackers, the government’s and also those who do not tell Xi the things they discover.)

“And I, Donald Trump, brought them to you. That’s how important I am to you. And why you should want to continue to work with me and my teams, not wait around for Democrats to bring you inferior deals.”

My two cents.
I probably read too much history and historical fiction.
It’s the kind of thing sovereign rulers would do with each other, back in the old days.
But, hey! No Kings here, right?
The Democrats have no idea what they are talking about with that line.

And don’t think that Xi would be squeamish about sacrificing a couple million young men to do it. I think the purging of General Zhang Youxia, perhaps the most venerated living general, may be about this very point. Zhang is one of the few active generals who saw action in the 1979 war with Vietnam. He knows what an invasion of Taiwan means – the possible deaths of tens of thousands of young men. He’s not so sanguine about an invasion that is basically about pride.

I agree with Huxley that Americans basically are not able to wrap their heads around what motivates the Chinese. Their propaganda centers around Japan and the century of humiliation. The center of oriental power for centuries was helpless against the West in the 19th century and was carved up, with Japan joining the party once they had absorbed enough of western ways. The Sino/Japanese war of 1895, in which Japan took Formosa (Taiwan) and made inroads into Manchuria (NE China), was another humiliation.

The Chinese are proud people. In their minds they are simply returning to their rightful place as the center of Asia (and maybe beyond?). This is at the heart of CCP propaganda, this appeal to Chinese to right a historic wrong and resume their rightful place. And, IMO, everything they do and say points to a coming confrontation over Taiwan.

I agree. It’s a bit difficult, sitting in America, to believe that China would attempt such a dangerous, risky move on a powerful, well-defended, unwilling island, but I think it’s true.

Not only for the reasons above, but also for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) which is the most important semiconductor foundry in the world, especially when it comes to the most advanced AI chips.

Furthermore, since China is in decline, in terms of population and economics, it can’t wait forever to make that move.

I had hoped the China visit would include Trump wheeling-and-dealing to offer China incentives for a better future without Taiwan.

Maybe it did.

My Beijing born wife thinks it’s Xi’s number one objective to ‘complete’ the reunification of China (Macau and HK already done). His legacy. And he’s getting on in years, you know.

No maybe about it.

Prestige wise, Trump’s visit props up Xi but leaves China even more dependent upon oil supplies from the US. That’s leverage over China’s future actions, in that it cannot risk deeply offending both its largest customer and now, critical oil supplier.

If while Trump is President, Xi pushes forward with an attempted invasion of Taiwan, US oil exports can be cut off and possibly other suppliers cajoled into joining an oil blockade. Leaving only Russia but whose pipeline cannot independently supply all of China’s needs.

Bottom line: it does not feel like this is a good time to consider invading Taiwan.