The Take: Iran, Taiwan, Trump’s high‑stakes return to Beijing
As Trump meets Xi in Beijing for the first time in nine years, can trade war, Taiwan and Iran tensions be contained?
![US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-13T032149Z_792695043_RC25MHANDFCF_RTRMADP_3_CHINA-USA-RAREEARTHS-1778776984.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
US President Donald Trump returns to Beijing after nine years to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their trade war, conflict in Iran and rising fears over Taiwan shape the talks. With global tensions mounting, can the leaders find common ground, or will rivalry push the world further into crisis?
In this episode:
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Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Sarí el-Khalili with Spencer Cline, Catherine Nouhan, Tuleen Barakat, Alexandra Locke, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
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