US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are preparing for a high-stakes summit in Washington that could shape the future of US-China relations, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, Russia is floating the possibility of a future Trump-Xi-Putin trilateral meeting, raising questions about how the world's major powers are positioning themselves amid intensifying geopolitical competition. Could the September 24 meeting produce a breakthrough — or will it be just another big show with little substance? And could Trump agree to three-way talks? In this episode, we examine the key issues facing Trump and Xi, the future of US support for Taiwan, and whether a new phase of great-power diplomacy is beginning to emerge.
*Recorded on September 17, 2026 at 10am Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Chinyeh Chiang
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Ronan Fu
- Academia Sinica Institute of Political Science Assistant Research Fellow
Rob York
- Pacific Forum Regional Affairs Director
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