America’s Asian allies want a Trump-Xi truce — but not at their expense

BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026 in Beijing, China. The trip by Trump is focused on trade, regional security, and strengthening bilateral ties between the world's two largest economies. (Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)China Pool | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesAmerica's Asian allies want U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to ease tensions between the world's two largest economies. They don't want that stability to come at their expense.Ahead of Thursday's summit in Washington, the U.S. joined Japan and South Korea in reaffirming its "ironclad" defense commitments to both countries and opposing unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.The statement came amid concerns that Trump could soften Washington's position on Taiwan or other regional security issues in return for concessions from Beijing on trade, or assistance over the war with Iran."In general, U.S. allies and partners in the region do not want to see a breakthrough in U.S.-China relations that harms their n...