Trump’s Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian President Zelensky highlights the unpredictability and volatility of U.S. diplomacy under his second term—an unsettling prospect for China as it prepares for a potential Trump-Xi summit. With Trump emboldened and increasingly unpredictable, China may face new challenges in navigating an engagement with a leader who thrives on disruption.

The future for European countries hinges on maintaining competitiveness and growth while safeguarding the quality of life of their citizens. The shock delivered by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could hasten Europe’s long-overdue strategic awakening.

Peter Hegseth’s inability to name an ASEAN country underscores the Trump administration’s broader indifference to Southeast Asia, favoring trade protectionism, military burden-shifting, and transactional diplomacy over sustained regional engagement.

The Asia-Pacific region began to exhibit signs of easing major geopolitical tensions in late 2024, but has started to heat up again following President Trump’s return to power in the White House. During the ‘easing’ period, although low-level disputes persisted in the vast region, in the South China Sea, and in cross-strait relations, the risk of a conflict involving regional heavyweights was not imminent.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to promoting peace in Ukraine has brought significant changes. China needs to find new roles for itself in promoting the peace process, while continuing to advocate political solutions.

During Donald Trump’s second term, the world’s three major continental powers — China, the United States and the European Union — will engage in their most intense interactions since the end of World War II. The results will shape the global power structure in stages.

If one takes Marco Rubio’s recent remarks on the end of unipolarity at face value, one could be mistaken for believing that the question of a multipolar world is settled. On the contrary, Rubio’s ruminations, together with remarks from members of the new Trump Administration, including the President himself, buttressed with decisions made in the first few weeks of the new administration, suggest that the issue of multipolarity is very much in question.

The future is uncertain for the European Union as powerful regimes with inward-looking agendas have begun rolling out policy in the U.S., Germany, and France, due in no small part to the second Trump administration. For Europe, NATO, and the conflict in Ukraine, this could potentially lead to unprecedented changes in the modern global order.

Trump’s proudly professed vision of greatness has once again become foreign policy, casting doubts over the stability of America’s relationships with even its closest allies. Could this sudden shift in paradigm strengthen China’s positions globally?

America’s stunning withdrawal from global leadership under President Donald Trump’s isolationist policies has accelerated China’s rise, marking a significant shift in global power dynamics. China’s timing is perfect for the moment as it promotes a vision of global collaboration and shared prosperity.