14 May 2026 | 12:50 CAT
4-minute read
Trump’s China visit
Donald Trump’s May 2026 state visit to Beijing marks his first visit to the country during his second presidential term, and is markedly different from his October 2025 meeting with Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.
During this week’s Asia Pacific Report on Radio Islam International, Walden Bello discussed the way this Trump-Xi summit contrasts with their previous meeting in its geographic setting, diplomatic format, economic stakes, and geopolitical urgency.
“The context is very different from the meeting in 2025 between the two, because the US comes as a diminished power because of its strategic debacle in Iran. And China has come across as the pillar of stability,” Bello said.
The United States lost significant global support due to its military conflict with Iran. For one, Russia and China have transitioned to local currencies for oil and gas trade, representing a structural shift away from the decades-old “petrodollar” system. Additionally, traditional Gulf allies such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE implemented aggressive countermeasures, including reducing their financial exposure to US banks and closing their airspace to US aircraft.
At the same time, European countries have distanced themselves from US-led military action involving Iran, reflecting wider divisions among Western partners.
On the other hand, China has expanded its influence in Southeast Asia by offering access to its oil reserves and positioning itself as a potential mediator between the US and Iran.
“I think Trump desperately wants China’s intervention to save face,” Bello opined.
Looking ahead, US–China relations may focus on maintaining a trade truce, with possible negotiations involving US restrictions on high-technology exports and China’s controls on rare earth materials. Observers also point to Taiwan as a key unresolved issue that could shape future US policy decisions.
Chaos in the Philippines
The impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte on May 11, 2026, represents the definitive climax of the total political war between the ruling Marcos dynasty and the unravelling Duterte dynasty.
Simultaneously, the Philippine Senate descended into chaos this week, marked by a sudden leadership coup and an unprecedented shootout inside the legislative building.
The crisis erupted as the upper chamber prepared to receive the formal articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“There was chaos in the Philippine Senate. The Senate is the one that will decide whether or not to convict her in this impeachment complaint, because there was a coup that displaced the pro-Marcos majority with now a pro-Duterte majority that is unlikely to convict her,” Bello said.
On May 11, Pro-Duterte senators executed a swift, unannounced floor coup to oust Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Led by Imee Marcos and minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, the bloc voted 13–9 to declare all leadership seats vacant. Cayetano was immediately sworn in as the new Senate President to control the chamber before the trial.
Then, the building became an active law enforcement zone on Wednesday night when more than a dozen gunshots rang out inside the complex. Heavily armed police and marines breached the building to arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Journalists and staffers scrambled for cover as Dela Rosa—who had been using the Senate as a sanctuary—fled the police.
ASEAN Summit meeting in Cebu
The 48th ASEAN Summit officially convened in the central Philippine province of Cebu from May 6 to May 8. Under the Philippines’ 2026 chairship theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together,” the high-level meeting was hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
The summit took place at a time of growing divisions within the regional bloc, with analysts warning that internal disputes are weakening ASEAN’s ability to function as a unified organisation.
“The ASEAN Summit meeting came at a very precarious time for ASEAN, because it has really come at a time of great disunity,” Bello observed.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia remain unresolved, with no peace agreement reached. Efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar have also stalled, as ASEAN’s five-point peace plan has failed to produce a breakthrough. Thailand has further complicated regional diplomacy by appearing to support Myanmar’s military junta.
Divisions have also emerged over the South China Sea dispute, with most ASEAN members — except possibly Vietnam — refraining from openly backing the Philippines in its territorial standoff with China.
Analysts say these disputes have exposed deep fractures within ASEAN, limiting the bloc’s effectiveness on major regional security and political issues.
Despite the Philippines hosting the summit, critics argue the meeting produced little substantive progress beyond symbolic displays of unity among regional leaders. Key issues, including the South China Sea dispute, the Myanmar crisis and tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, remain unresolved.
Asia Pacific Report:https://on.soundcloud.com/OSF6Fue0vZiguCXN8Q
Guest: Walden Bello | International adjunct professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton; senior visiting research fellow at Kyoto University Centre for Southeast Asian Studies
Presenter: Moulana Ahmed Waja
Show: Sabaahul Muslim
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