“Heavy on Pomp but Light on Deliverables.” Bowdoin’s Heurlin on Trump-Xi Summit

The other major geopolitical issue on the table was the war in Iran and the volatile situation in the Persian Gulf, where a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices surging. Again, said Heurlin, there was little meaningful movement on the issue during the US-China summit. "From the American side, we're hearing that there's agreement between the US and China on the broad strokes of the conflict, that there should be no 'toll booth' charging for passage through the strait by the Iranians, that the Iranians shouldn't have a nuclear weapon, and that the war to be brought to an end." Meanwhile, Beijing, which relies heavily on Iranian oil, continues to press for a peaceful solution to the conflict. Essentially, explained Heurlin, the position of both parties is the same as it was before the summit. "So, I think any hope that the Chinese would bring pressure to bear on Iran to end the conflict is going to be for nought-I think that's maybe a little bit of wishful thinking."

On the trade front, there was also little to shout about. "The main announcement was that China would buy 200 Boeing commercial aircraft, which frankly is not a lot," said Heurlin, pointing out that shares in Boeing fell nearly 5 percent on the news. "In the days before the summit, China lifted some restrictions on US beef exports to China, so that may help a little bit." There's also been of talk of increased purchases by China of US soybeans, he added, although this may not amount to much as Beijing does not always follow through on announced deals. "I think some of this is diplomatic positioning and maneuvering rather than concrete deals."

The issue of human rights, meanwhile, was off the agenda completely at the summit, which was not surprising, said Heurlin. "President Trump has a long-standing admiration for strongman-type dictators, and he certainly has those kinds of feelings toward President Xi." Before the summit, he commented, there had been talk that Trump might raise the issue of Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned Hong Kong businessman and political activist, but this did not occur.

Christopher Heurlin's latest book, The Enduring Power of Communism: The International Origins of Authoritarian Consolidation, was recently published by Oxford University Press.

Check out Heurlin's recent media appearances:

https://www.livenowfox.com/video/fmc-204fyso7swaihsfz

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/13/trump-xi-summit-chinas-help-in-iran-may-require-us-concessions