Administration

Gingrich says Trump-Xi meeting could be ‘remarkable breakthrough’

Comments:

by Ryan Mancini - 05/10/26 7:00 AM ET

Comments:

Link copied

by Ryan Mancini - 05/10/26 7:00 AM ET

Comments:

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could yield a “remarkable breakthrough”

Gingrich appeared on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show hosted by John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM, where he said Trump’s visit to Beijing is “the biggest thing in the near future.” Trump requested to move the meeting with Xi to May so the U.S. president could focus on the war in Iran.

“China is a country in transition, and President Trump will be visiting it at a moment when it could lead to a truly remarkable breakthrough,” Gingrich told Catsimatidis in the interview that aired Sunday. “That’s what we should hope for. This could be a very big deal, or not –– if it’s not, then Trump will just keep marching on.”

The former lawmaker explained that the meeting could place XI in a position where he can “continue to try to compete with us or whether he wants to cooperate with us.” Gingrich pointed to the suspended death sentences of two Chinese former defense ministers, which he claimed was “a signal” of China’s military capacity being diminished.

“So they couldn’t protect Venezuela, they can’t protect Iran, they don’t do much good in Russia,” Gingrich continued. “And so, I think, suddenly, [Xi’s] dream that he could somehow take us on and occupy Taiwan –– I think he’s having to reassess everything.”

Chinese officials and experts have indicated that Taiwan will be a priority during the upcoming meeting with Trump. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to take it, with a ramped-up military presence around the island.

But another area of focus could be the war in Iran, which has roiled relations between the U.S. and China, with the latter having numerous ties with Iran. Beijing has had no interest in becoming involved in the two-month long conflict.

Trump has said China’s outlook on the conflict, specifically U.S. efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, has been positive. The closure of the strait has caused gas prices to rise, as roughly 20 percent of the world’s gas passes through the watery path of transit.

“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in mid-April. “I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran.”

“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” the president continued in the post. “We are working together smartly, and very well!”

Chinese officials, however, condemned Trump’s blockade deployed to the strait. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry called the U.S. actions “dangerous and irresponsible behavior” and predicted that they would serve only to “intensify contradictions, exacerbate tensions [and] undermine the already fragile ceasefire.”

Add as preferred source on Google