Balance of Power

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.
Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
After Xi Jinping regaled Donald Trump with goose-stepping soldiers and flag-waving children, the Chinese leader’s warning that Taiwan could lead to “clashes” between the superpowers amounted to a thunderclap in the choreographed world of Communist Party politics.

Cautioning American presidents against interfering with the self-ruled island is standard practice for China. But Xi’s assertion that it could trigger a “highly dangerous situation” for the world’s biggest economies marked his bluntest language yet on the topic. Beijing’s decision to release Xi’s remarks before the nearly two-and-a-half hour huddle was even over underscored the gravity of the message.

Trump must now grapple with whether Xi will actually allow Taiwan to derail the broader relationship, particularly with the Chinese leader set to visit the White House in September — the second of four planned meetings this year. Any effort by the Republican leader to quash a planned $14 billion US arms sale to Taipei would likely unleash a bipartisan backlash in Washington, at a time when he already faces voter unhappiness over the Iran war. If the deal is approved, Trump will face Beijing’s wrath.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:
Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
Republican Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina.
Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Bulluy Pulpit International Managing Director Adam Hodge.
Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana.
Bloomberg Senior Editor for Technology and Strategic Industries Michael Shepard.
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Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.
Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for the first state visit to China by a US leader in nine years, as the world’s two largest economies look to stabilize ties with a summit playing out against the backdrop of the Iran war.

Air Force One touched down at the Beijing Capital International Airport slightly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday, where Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, a military honor guard, and hundreds of flag-waving children readied a red-carpet greeting ceremony for the US president.

The real action kicks off the next morning, with Trump meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:
Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
Former State Department Chief Economist Chad Bown.
Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Maywood Strategies Principal Doug Farrar.
Democratic Congresswoman Suzan DelBene.
Bloomberg International Economics and Policy Correspondent Michael McKee.
American Action Forum President Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
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Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.
Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Donald Trump is expecting economic deals and a “wild” welcome this week in China. In reality, he’ll arrive facing an emboldened Xi Jinping, just as his own hand is constrained by the conflict in Iran.

When the US president touches down in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a 36-hour summit, it’ll mark his first overseas trip since waging war in the Middle East. Over talks at the Great Hall of the People and a state dinner, followed by morning tea, the leaders will discuss trade, tariffs and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Another agenda item, of course, is Iran.

As the war extends into its third month, China appears to hold unique sway as the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s oil and a strategic partner of Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged that last week when he called on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which has unleashed the biggest oil supply shock in modern history.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:
Bloomberg White House and National Security Editor Michelle Jamrisko.
Democratic Congressman Greg Stanton of Arizona.
Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and BGR Group Principal Lester Munson.
Beacon Global Strategies Managing Director Sara Schuman.
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A more in-depth conversation about the future of the CLARITY Act -- a crypto market structure bill slated for Senate Banking Committee markup on May 14 -- led Bloomberg Intelligence's May 11 Washington Policy Pulse discussion. We think a deal between Senate lawmakers over stablecoins -- which the banking sector has pushed back against -- will likely hold. We also previewed what President Donald Trump's trip to China may bring, including potential deals related to Boeing and soybeans. Finally, we gave updates on housing legislation, Kevin Warsh's confirmation vote and private credit.
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Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.
Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran reached a particularly precarious moment Monday as President Donald Trump said the agreement was on “massive life support” after he rejected Tehran’s latest peace offer.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump called Iran’s response to his proposal a “piece of garbage” and that he “didn’t even finish reading it.”

Iran responded to last week’s US peace proposal by demanding a lifting of Washington’s naval blockade and sanctions relief, while maintaining a degree of control over traffic through the Strait of
Hormuz, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:
Bloomberg Economics Senior Geoeconomics Analyst for Asia-Pacific Adam Farrar.
American Enterprise Institute Nonresident Senior Fellow Heather Conley.
Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of the Army Brandon Pugh.
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