
How to Win a Summit: China’s Economic and Commercial Leverage
From Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies
May 14, 2026 · 44 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the economic and commercial context for the summit between President Trump and President Xi, focusing on trade dynamics and U.S.-China relations.
In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Philip Luck, Director of the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business. Phil was previously the deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of State. Phil and Henrietta discuss the economic and commercial context for the big summit between President Trump and President Xi in Beijing, what it means to have “managed trade,” the trajectory of U.S. tariff rates and export controls, and how soybeans may shape the future of U.S.-China relations. Tune in tomorrow (May 15) for a special bonus episode unpacking the outcomes from President Trump's visit to China, featuring Jon Czin, fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Director for China at the White House National Security Council.
People in this episode
Host: Henrietta Levin
Guest: Philip Luck
Topics covered
- U.S.-China relations
- economic leverage
- managed trade
- tariff rates
- export controls
- soybeans
Keywords
- China
- U.S.
- trade
- tariffs
- soybeans
- economics
- summit
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: CSIS, U.S. Department of State, Brookings Institution
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