Washington is focused on the summit between President Trump and Chairman Xi, with bipartisan concern over China's military and economic threat holding across the aisle, according to The Vandenberg Coalition.
The coalition said policymakers hope several topics will reach the summit's agenda, including calls to release innocent Americans such as Youlin Chen and Min Zin, pressing China to cease its imports of Iranian crude, and demanding China step up enforcement of bans on fentanyl precursor exports to Mexico.
But the group argued that as these changes are sought, the reality of what is at stake in the competition against China must be kept in mind. "It is not merely about defending our security and that of our citizens: as we argue in our latest video, it is about defending Western Civilization," the coalition said.
In a separate video, Elliott Abrams, Peter Berkowitz, Carrie Filipetti, Michael Sobolik, Grace Jin Drexel and Mary Kissel examine why the China threat is ultimately civilizational. According to the coalition, the Chinese Communist Party's worldview is at odds with the principles of liberty and human dignity enshrined in America's founding documents, and the CCP views America's tradition of freedom as a direct threat to its ambitions.
The coalition also highlighted a new book, "Dragon in the Americas: China's Power, Presence, and Regional Influence," by Leland Lazarus, who outlines how China is deploying economic coercion in the Western Hemisphere and how its deepening presence in Latin America and the Caribbean threatens U.S. national security. Lazarus, founder and CEO of Lazarus Consulting and a research fellow at the Wilson Center, discussed the topic with Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti on the Vandenberg Flash Focus podcast.
The Vandenberg Coalition also mourned the loss of Senator Jon Kyl, a member of its Advisory Board who passed away on September 17, 2026. It described Kyl as a fierce champion of Arizona, which he represented in the U.S. House and later the Senate, and of the United States as a whole, adding that he will be remembered for his clear-eyed, principled policy recommendations and deep love of nation.
In its reading list, the coalition pointed to commentary arguing the September 24 summit presents an opportunity for Trump to take a more assertive approach to derailing Beijing's artificial intelligence strategy, which the authors say rests on weak financial pillars.