Staff Reports
President Donald Trump’s rescheduled Beijing summit on May 14–15 is more than a photo op. It is a real chance to press China on trade, Taiwan and technology — and, if he has the courage, to speak directly to the Chinese people about freedom. The New York Post’s call for a Reagan-style outreach is exactly the sort of bold thinking this moment needs.
A golden chance in Beijing
The summit with President Xi Jinping will dominate headlines for trade deals and semiconductor talks. Those are important. But talking only to Xi and his handlers is like trying to fix a broken clock by polishing its hands. Ronald Reagan’s Fudan University speech in the 1980s proved you can reach minds even under a censor’s thumb. President Donald Trump should borrow that playbook and speak to Chinese students and citizens — not just the Chinese Communist Party’s press office.
Why public diplomacy matters
The Chinese regime controls the narrative inside its borders. It mutes dissent in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rewrites history on command. That creates a vacuum of truth that only American principles can fill. A short, clear message about free speech, the rule of law, and individual rights would cut through propaganda. It wouldn’t be naïve — it would be strategic. If President Donald Trump can mix blunt realism on security with a plainspoken appeal for liberty, he can undercut Beijing’s influence without sacrificing U.S. interests.
Don’t trade away our principles
Yes, this summit matters for soybeans, semiconductors and tariffs. Yes, Senator Steve Daines and a bipartisan delegation are already in China to press those economic issues. But let’s be blunt: we shouldn’t swap moral clarity for a short-term purchase order. Any trade wins should come with concrete safeguards on technology transfer, stronger supply chains, and guarantees that Taiwan’s security won’t be bargained away. Economic leverage is power — use it to shore up freedom, not to smooth over repression.
What to watch and what to demand
Watch the readouts. Will the communiqué mention Taiwan, semiconductors or human rights? Will there be real, verifiable steps on trade and tech? And will President Donald Trump seize the microphone for the Chinese people, even if the party prefers quiet? Demand language that ties any economic benefits to transparency, access for independent journalists, and protections for political dissenters. That’s how you turn a summit into a strategy.
Beijing will try to make this summit a victory lap. Washington should make it a crossroads: tougher on security, smarter on trade, louder for liberty. If President Donald Trump wants a headline that matters, he should channel the Reagan playbook — speak to the people, stand for freedom, and leave no doubt where America’s priorities lie.
