As the Iran war continues to roil the world economy, the Trump administration is understandably eager to point to East Asia where a few limited foreign policy successes have been notched.
The effort to coax America’s wealthy Asia-Pacific allies to invest more in the U.S. economy shows some signs of promise. There has also been some limited progress toward stabilizing the important U.S.-China relationship, though much more work is required.
These successes are encouraging and there’s an opportunity to build on them further, especially in national security matters. Most international security experts still believe that Taiwan constitutes the most dangerous potential flashpoint in the world.
To avoid a catastrophic war between the U.S. and China, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping should seize the moment and use their upcoming summit to ink a fourth communiqué, setting in place a new modus vivendi that will safeguard global security for the twenty-first century.
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