This article is one of 10 essays in the Summer 2026 print issue, The End of the World as We Know It. The magazine cover features a large hourglass with a black and white logo with the text "SUMMER 2026" and a stacked list of terms.
Juan A. CZIN is Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings Institution’s China Center and co-host of the podcast The Beijing Brief. He was Director for China at the National Security Council from 2021 to 2023 and a member of the Senior Analytic Service at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Last weekend's coverage of Asia and beyond has been put together. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing to our website. . for more stories from the last weekend. For more information, visit: www.asia-observer.com.
In May 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a highly anticipated summit in Beijing. Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) conducted a nationwide telephone survey between May 28 and May 31, 2026. The survey interviewed 1,127 adults aged 18 and above across Taiwan, including both landline and mobile phone samples.
Shi Ping is a member of Japan’s House of Councillors. Recently, he met with Miles Yu, director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute. Both men are natives of Sichuan Province and have been sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party. Shi is known for his anti-CCP stance and has repeatedly criticized Beijing over issues involving Taiwan, the Nanjing Massacre, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong.
Taiwan's National Security Bureau has launched a website for Chinese citizens to leak intelligence. It invites those who share the same values of democracy to collaborate on reporting on Beijing. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to take it. Taipei accuses Beijing of using espionage and infiltration to weaken its defences.
The proposed US$14 billion arms sale package to Taiwan remains unresolved. China is the most serious threat facing the United States. Xi Jinping has taken a hardline stance toward Taiwan. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act requires the U.S. to provide Taiwan with “defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability”
President Lai Ching-te and C.C. Wei attended the groundbreaking ceremony of Pingtung Science Park’s semiconductor supply chain zone June 12 in the southern Taiwan county. He pledged to continue promoting high-tech industries to drive local and national development.
Traditional markets such as US and Europe matter just as much as new partners, Hong Kong leader says. John Lee is pushing for Hong Kong’s interests in traditional markets. He is ‘not giving up on any market’, he says.
On June 9, the 34th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Georgia and China were upgraded to a "comprehensive strategic partnership". China has established over 80 strategic partnerships globally. Georgia's original 2023 agreement represented the lowest rung of this ladder. Chinese FDI in Georgia fell from $98 million in 2023 to just $29 million in 2024. China did not break into Georgia’s top 10 sources of foreign direct investment. China does not appear in Georgia's top five export markets.