China teaches Trump two lessons on Taiwan

Published January 1, 2026 7:00am ET



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Chinese President Xi Jinping taught President Donald Trump two lessons on Taiwan this week. First, that Trump’s rhetorical deference to the Chinese Communist Party’s chairman over Taiwan won’t earn any respite from Xi’s escalating pressure. Second, China could move so quickly against Taiwan that any U.S. military intervention might arrive too late to make a difference.

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