Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, May 14, 2026 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty)
EA on International Outlets: Trump’s Visit to China Can’t Fix His War on Iran
I consider the AUKUS announcement of joint investment in development of underwater unmanned vehicles, including drone and submarines, as China makes rapid advances.
David talks about the Typhon systems, mobile US Army launchers designed to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 multi-mission missiles, in the context of Chinese and American military planning for the Asia-Pacific.
In the 10-minute discussion with Jane Mukerrins, I also contrast the Trump camp’s bluster — exemplified by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore — with the institutional ties and operations of AUKUS.
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Watch David Dunn on India’s FirstPost from 4:19
David talks about the timing of the deployment of the Typhon missile systems, scheduled well before Donald Trump’s recent trip to China.
The wider context is that the Americans are trying to play catch-up. For 32 years until 2019, America was forbidden to have ground-based missiles under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty between the Soviet Union/Russia and the US.
During that time, China deployed thousands of missiles like these along its coast, threatening both Japan and Taiwan.
What we see here is the Americans starting the process of catching up with a major Chinese capability in the region.
He explains what this means for deterrence of any Chinese military invasion of Taiwan, despite Trump’s rhetoric.