Ideas

China Is Building the Future

The United States can learn from its technological success.

First published in The Atlantic on October 29, 2025.

by Eric Schmidt and Selina Xu, The Atlantic

October 30, 2025 | reading time: 11 Min.

After a months-long trade war between China and the United States, Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet Thursday in Korea. Both countries seem to be angling for a truce; over the weekend, they announced a “framework” for a possible agreement.