AI Summary
5 min readThe Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, delayed by the Iran War, is finally happening—and expectations are low. The two-day meeting is the first of four planned for this year, a sign of how urgently both sides need to manage a relationship that was, until recently, on the brink of economic catastrophe. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is pulling away from Pepsi in market value, and the Venice Biennale has opened to a soundtrack of diplomatic discord, with boycotts, resignations, and a Russian pavilion that feels like a party no one wants to attend.
What’s at stake in the Trump-Xi summit
US-China relations were in a “really, really bad way” last year, according to Simon Rubinovich, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief. The two countries had imposed tariffs of more than 100% on each other, and China’s export controls on rare earths threatened to halt global industry. A truce reached late last year runs only until November, so this summit is about trying to build something more durable.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:58) **Trump-Xi Summit Preview** - Simon Rubinovich, Beijing bureau chief, outlines expectations for the first of four planned meetings between Trump and Xi in Beijing.
- 2 (05:59) **Taiwan, Iran, and Russia on the Agenda** - Simon explains what other issues will loom beyond trade.
- 3 (10:10) **Promo for Related Podcasts** - Brief plugs for *Checks and Balance* and *Drum Tower* for deeper coverage of the summit.
- 4 (11:38) **Coke vs. Pepsi: The Great Divergence** - Culture editor explains why Coca-Cola is thriving while Pepsi struggles, and how a comeback is mounting.
- 5 (16:38) **Venice Biennale: Chaos and Controversy** - Culture editor Alexandra Suich Bass reports on the most contentious Biennale since 1968.
- 6 Standout Quotes
- 7 (06:48) "One of the things that China will be trying to use the summit for is getting Xi Jinping into a room with Donald Trump and basically trying to make the case that Donald Trump, you can be an architect of global peace if you change America's language, if you change America's stance on Taiwan." — Simon Rubinovich
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
The meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will set the tone for three more this year. We examine what and what not to expect. Pepsi has been losing ground to Coca Cola recently; to catch up, it may have to become more like its rival. And this year’s Venice Biennale is uncomfortably besieged by geopolitics.
Guests and host:
- Simon Rabinovitch, Beijing bureau chief
- Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent
- Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor
- Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
- Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
- Trump/Xi summit, geopolitics
- Coca Cola, Pepsi, business
- Venice Biennale, culture
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