What Actually Happened in Beijing? - with Carice Witte
5/18/202634 min
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Was the Trump-Xi summit a win, a loss or neutral?
Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping ended with no major breakthrough, no dramatic concession, and no public rupture. But according to Carice Witte, Founder and Executive Director of SIGNAL Group, that may be the real story. China projected confidence, framed itself as America’s peer, and tried to turn the summit into proof of U.S. decline. Yet on Taiwan, Iran, and regional leverage, Beijing got far less than it wanted.
Carice joins Dan to unpack what really happened in Beijing, why China wants Iran weak but intact, how Israel’s military successes have changed Beijing’s view of Jerusalem, and what Israel should do differently as China watches the war from the other side of the world.
Learn more about SIGNAL Group.
In this episode:
- Why Beijing wanted the summit to look like a win
- What Xi’s “Thucydides Trap” message signaled
- The Taiwan concession Trump did not give
- Why China wants Iran weak but still useful
- Keeping Hormuz open and Iran non-nuclear
- China’s support for Iran and the limits of plausible deniability
- How October 7th changed China’s view of Israel
- What Israel should do differently on China
This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.
Learn more about the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program.
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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDan Senor· Host0:00
[gentle music] I want to take a moment to talk about daily life in Israel right now. One day can seem relatively calm, the next, sirens, rockets, everything changes. So the question isn't just what's happening at this moment, it's whether Israel is ready for what comes next. Hadassah Hospitals in Jerusalem have built that readiness into the foundation of their work and their facilities. When a crisis hits, entire departments move underground in minutes into fortified maternity wards, ICUs, and cancer units. Doctors and nurses continue treating patients in real time, even under fire. But here's the reality: it's not enough. More advanced underground operating rooms are urgently needed so that even in the most extreme conditions, Hadassah's life-changing care continues. Hadassah's working right now to expand these emergency zones because in Israel, preparedness isn't theoretical, it's essential. If you want to help make sure Israel is ready, go to hadassah.org and support this important work. That's H-A-D-A-S-S-A-H .org, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
Carice Witte· Guest1:10
[upbeat music] You are listening to an Arc Media podcast. The relationship between China and Iran is not one of alliance. The reason China is so interested in keeping this regime is not only because it pulls