Like a reckless demolition tool swinging unpredictably, Donald Trump disrupts the global framework with little regard for fallout. Without solid strategies, practical blueprints or steady objectives, he lurches from one volatile area, conflict zone and intricate power dynamic to the next, sowing chaos, uncertainty and destruction. As usual, he proclaims a false win, insists others clean up the mess and foot the bill, then scans for the next target.

This week, the president charges into yet another diplomatic hotspot - the tense China-Taiwan confrontation - during his two-day Beijing meeting with President Xi Jinping. Following a series of policy failures in Ukraine, Gaza, Nato, Greenland, and lately Iran and Lebanon, a desperate Trump yearns for a foreign policy coup to parade domestically. Yet his dreams of election-boosting trade agreements are eclipsed by his newest conflict gamble. He requires Xi's commitment to withhold arms from Iran should full-scale war reignite - and Xi's assistance in securing the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed peace arrangement.

Trump's vulnerable stance ahead of the talks sparks talk that dialing back US backing for Taiwan might be Xi's demand for cooperation. Xi recognizes the Iran conflict's unpopularity among American voters. Trump shoulders the blame for soaring worldwide energy, food and medicine costs. European partners have declined to rescue him, Russia profits unfairly from high oil prices - and developing nations suffer most. Trump falters on the battlefield too, evident in his improvised, fluctuating Project Freedom. He yearns to extricate himself from the morass he ignited - and curb Xi's edge.

How will Xi view his intensely agitated visitor? To China, Trump delivers endless benefits. Under his watch, the US appears globally as a belligerent foe or fickle ally, prone to betrayal. America's waning clout and bargaining power boost Beijing: Trump's unpredictability bolsters Xi's pitch of China as the emerging steward of world order. The Iran deadlock pulls US troops from Asia - with two carrier groups now in the Middle East - weakening defenses for Taiwan and Asian partners against potential Chinese moves.

Xi faces challenges from the war's toll on energy costs, trade flows and export markets, as China's economy falters. Last year, China snapped up roughly 80% of Iran's oil exports - now impeded by US naval actions. Thus far, Beijing has countered Gulf shortages via stockpiles, renewable shifts and extra purchases from Brazil and Russia. But as top crude importer, China needs secure Hormuz passage.

China pushes for a diplomatic resolution, hosting Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi last week and supporting Pakistani go-betweens. Echoing its 2023 Saudi-Iran reconciliation, nervous Gulf nations, like Trump, rely on Beijing's sway over its 2021 strategic partner Iran. Xi confronts Trump boldly, lately cautioning against reverting to "the law of the jungle". He stressed: "To uphold international law's authority, we must not apply it selectively or discard it at whim." Sharp words.

The naive Washington notion that bold US-Israel strikes on Iran have compelled Xi's teamwork - curbing Beijing's aims in Taiwan and the South China Sea - rings hollow without battlefield success. Trump instead highlights US power's bounds, militarily and politically, exposing profound strategic gaps. Though favoring peace, Xi prioritizes extracting Trump from Middle East woes only if it suits. He could extend America's ordeal via covert aid to Iran, mirroring Russia support in Ukraine.

Trump grasps this danger. Last month, he messaged Xi requesting no arms to Tehran - claiming Beijing's pledge to comply. Yet the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies alleges China already furnishes Iran dual-use missile chemicals, US troop intel via satellites, sanctions circumvention and laundering aid. Escalated direct military help might follow if Trump resumes strikes or disappoints Xi.

For someone who brags about dominating, Trump risks arriving cardless opposite Xi. This underscores the global disarray he has wrought. His 2026 defense blueprint deems China deterrence in the Indo-Pacific paramount. But Middle East fixations have undermined US posture. As ever, allies may pay for his missteps. Thus Taiwan - and partners like Japan, South Korea, Philippines - fret.

Xi's chief foreign goal skips the Middle East: merging communist China with independent democratic Taiwan - his legacy quest, often threatened militarily. Pentagon experts see China's growing forces invasion-ready by next year. Taiwan's military lags numerically, its parties split on defense hikes and Beijing ties.

The US insists its status quo Taiwan policy endures. But Trump proves erratic on the issue. He issues clashing, worrisome remarks. On Xi's plans, he lately noted invasion is "up to him" - phrasing implying indifference, despite claiming he'd be "very unhappy" if China attacks.

Summit stakes: Will a diminished Trump trim Taipei aid for Xi's Iran help and perks like rare earths, farm goods? Doubts linger on his pledges to Seoul, Tokyo - amid Beijing-Tokyo strains partly over Taiwan - and curbing nuclear-armed North Korea.

Put differently, might Trump tout another sham global win in Beijing, betraying allies, bowing to an authoritarian foe, and shattering decades of Pacific peace diplomacy over Taiwan? This week, thanks to Trump the disruptor, US supremacy's decline looms. His bungles seat China at the wheel.

Expert Journalist is a foreign affairs commentator