President Trump is heading to China this week for talks that touch on some of the most consequential fault lines in global affairs: the Strait of Hormuz, Taiwan, and artificial intelligence. The visit carries high stakes across security, trade, and technology, three areas where the US and China are deeply at odds.

Why the Strait of Hormuz Matters Here

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes. Any disruption there, whether from Iran-linked tensions or broader Gulf instability, hits energy markets immediately and globally. That makes it a pressure point where US and Chinese interests can either collide or, in rare cases, align. China is the world's largest oil importer and depends heavily on Gulf supply routes, which gives Beijing its own reason to care about stability there.

Taiwan remains the sharpest flashpoint. The US maintains unofficial ties with the island and is legally obligated under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide it with defensive arms. China regards Taiwan as its own territory and has never ruled out force to achieve unification. Any signaling from Trump's visit, even informal, on how firmly the US intends to back Taiwan will be closely read by markets, defense planners, and governments across Asia.

AI as a New Battleground

Artificial intelligence has become a central arena in the US-China competition. The US has moved to restrict exports of advanced chips to China, arguing they could be used to accelerate Chinese military capabilities. China has pushed back and invested heavily in domestic alternatives. In any high-level meeting, AI governance, export controls, and technology sharing are now standard agenda items, not peripheral ones.

Patricia Kim of the Brookings Institution joined NPR's Ayesha Rascoe to discuss what Trump is likely to raise and what outcomes are realistic. The framing of the visit, which issues Trump prioritizes and what language each side uses afterward, will shape near-term expectations for US-China relations more broadly.

Watch for any joint statements on technology cooperation or competition, any shift in tone on Taiwan, and whether energy security surfaces as a shared concern or a new point of friction.