Reed: Trump 'Terribly Weakened' Before Xi Summit
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- Sen. Jack Reed said on "Fox News Sunday" that President Trump is entering his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping 'terribly weakened,' pointing to a stalemate with Iran and the Iranian military's restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which he said is holding 20% of the world's oil at risk.
- Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing Thursday and Friday for a summit with Xi — the two leaders' first in-person meeting since October and the first time a U.S. president has set foot in China in more than eight years.
- China ordered companies to disregard U.S. sanctions on Chinese refineries earlier this week, even as the U.S. continues seeking a permanent end to hostilities with Iran, a country with which Beijing has close ties.
- The Treasury Department sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical Refinery last month, calling it 'one of Iran's largest customers for crude oil and other petroleum products,' while Reed noted China is thriving on 'alternate energy investments' — installing 360 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity in 2024 alone, more than half of global additions.
- The U.S. military has moved personnel and equipment from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East during the Iran conflict, which Reed said affects American 'readiness' with respect to China as Beijing ramps up its military presence around Taiwan.
- Reed told host Shannon Bream that Americans are facing 'significant gas prices, significant increases in grocery prices' driven by the Iran conflict, adding: 'The American people are significantly concerned about this conflict with Iran. So that's not a strong position to be in when you're talking to an economic and a geopolitical rival.'
Why it matters: Reed's critique lands as the U.S. is simultaneously seeking a permanent end to hostilities with Iran and absorbing oil-supply disruptions that have pushed up domestic gas and grocery prices. With U.S. military resources shifted from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, the top Armed Services Democrat is publicly arguing Trump enters Friday's Beijing summit with diminished leverage over Xi on the issues — from trade to Taiwan's security — that define the rivalry.
