Hi Global Recap readers,
Okay, despite that one guy begging @Trump to kiss Xi so his betting-market payday would hit, they did not kiss.
More on their anticipated meeting later. But first, let’s talk about CCP agents in the United States. 👇🏼
🇨🇳🇺🇸 CHINA & US
Beijing's NY Problem
Lu Jianwang (right) seen in China.
A Brooklyn jury convicted Lu Jianwang, also known as Harry Lu, of acting as an illegal Chinese government agent and obstructing justice over a secret police station in Manhattan's Chinatown.
What We Know:
Lu allegedly helped open the station in 2022 for China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
He was also convicted of obstruction after deleting WeChat messages with an MPS handler after the FBI searched the site.
The station was used to target Chinese dissidents, including a pro-democracy advocate in California.
This lands just two days after Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang agreed to plead guilty in another illegal Chinese agent case.
🇨🇺🇷🇺 CUBA & RUSSIA
Russia's Fuel Ran Out
Cuba's Energy Minister warned that the island's latest fuel lifeline is gone.
A donated Russian oil shipment from late March was used up in early May, leaving the country short of diesel and fuel oil as blackouts in Havana stretch past 20 hours/day (for the ordinary people, that is).
Current Status:
Vicente de la O Levy said Cuba has "absolutely no diesel" and no reserves.
The grid is leaning on domestic crude, natural gas, and solar power.
China-donated panels help during the day, but without enough battery storage they do little for peak nighttime demand.
📌 Context. With countries like Venezuela and Cuba, Chinese and Russian influence is usually part of the picture.
That’s why some people call this a new Monroe Doctrine—the idea that the US sees the Western Hemisphere as its strategic sphere of influence and will push back when rival powers like China or Russia gain too much political, military, or economic leverage there.
This also explains Trump’s attitude toward Greenland and the Panama Canal earlier in his term.
🎙️ PODCAST
Oil, China, Russia
Speaking of oil, China, and Russia, these themes don’t stop at the Western Hemisphere.
They keep showing up in the countries the US is watching most closely: Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and beyond.
Coincidence? Maybe. But why do they keep popping up consistently?
In our new history podcast, we look at how oil, US power, the CIA, and the 1953 coup in Iran all fit together, and why that story still echoes today (eerily so).
Pick your platform. 👇🏼
🇭🇺🇺🇦 HUNGARY & UKRAINE
Budapest Turns Harder
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán (left) and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar (right).
Hungary's new government condemned Russia's recent drone attack on Ukraine's Transcarpathia region and summoned Russia's ambassador, giving Ukraine something it almost never got from Viktor Orbán: direct blame aimed at Russia.
The new Hungarian PM, Péter Magyar, said Foreign Minister Anita Orbán would ask when Russia plans to end the war.
The issue with this particular strike was that it hit Ukraine's western Zakarpattia region, which borders Hungary and is home to a Hungarian minority.
🇵🇭 PHILIPPINES
Senate Gunfire
Gunfire broke out inside the Philippine Senate during a standoff over Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the former police chief wanted by the ICC over Duterte-era drug-war killings.
What We Know:
Dela Rosa had been staying in the Senate under protection from allied senators after agents tried to arrest him Monday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant accuses him of crimes against humanity over at least 32 alleged murders from 2016 to 2018.
Dela Rosa says he will fight the ICC case and face allegations only in Philippine courts.
No casualties were reported after Wednesday's gunfire.
Authorities are investigating whether he secretly left the Senate where he had spent days evading arrest.
📌 Context. Former President Duterte is currently detained over the ICC case tied to his war on drugs, but his allies are still framing it as foreign interference.
He was arrested at Manila's International Airport and transferred to The Hague on crimes against humanity charges tied to thousands of drug-war killings.
His supporters believe that his violent crackdown was necessary to save the country from turning into a "narco-state."
His critics believe that justice is catching up to him.
🇨🇳🇺🇸 CHINA & US
Xi-Trump Summit
On May 13, US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing aboard Air Force One.
Trump arrived in Beijing for a highly anticipated summit with Xi Jinping, but the core exchange came behind closed doors.
The welcome President Donald Trump received is now being compared to the one UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer received in January.
The Arrival
On May 14, Trump was received at the Great Hall of the People with red carpet ceremony, flags, and the kind of choreography Beijing uses to signal state-to-state respect before harder talks begin.
He called it the "biggest summit ever" and brought a business-heavy delegation, including CEOs from Tesla, Apple, and Boeing. This signals that he is putting business and trade a huge emphasis of this meeting.
The Meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s opening remarks to US President Donald Trump.
US President Donald Trump’s opening remarks to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The leaders met for about two hours, with Taiwan, trade, Iran, Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula on the agenda.
What We Know:
Xi told Trump the US and China should be "partners rather than rivals."
He said the relationship needed limits on competition and managed differences.
Chinese state media said the two sides discussed global crises, but gave few specifics.
Trump later described the talks as "great," but did not answer when asked whether Taiwan came up.
The Taiwan Line
Xi told Trump that:
if Taiwan is handled well, the relationship can remain stable.
if not, he warned, the two countries risk conflict that could put the entire relationship in jeopardy.
Xi paired his Taiwan warning with a commercial opening. He told American executives China's door would open wider and said recent trade talks produced "balanced and positive" results.
That is Beijing's offer: keep business moving, manage disputes, and do not cross its Taiwan line. Trump's leverage depends on whether he can separate those tracks. Xi's warning says China will not.
💭 Thoughts. This is interesting to watch unfold. On one hand, it makes sense that CEOs are drawn to the business opportunities in China. But China’s strategy has long been to pull foreign companies deeper into its market, then use that dependence as geopolitical leverage.
At the same time, Trump is using tariffs and other tools to push companies back toward America, arguing it will create US jobs. It also pressures companies to derisk and move away from cheap Chinese labor and looser labor rules—allowing the US administration to make bolder moves against China (if it wants to).
