U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing next week on a two-day visit, his first trip to China in eight years. Delayed for two months by the Iran conflict, Taiwan, industrial matters, and the Strait of Hormuz are likely to dominate the talks.
Speaking about the summit on Monday (4 May) U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged Beijing to use its influence to help reopen the strait to international shipping.
China is the world’s biggest crude oil importer and has been the main buyer of Iranian oil in recent years, but so far it has declined to sign-up to U.S. efforts aimed at pressuring Tehran to end its effective blockade of the sea passage.
In April, Beijing, along with Russia, vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution proposed by Gulf states and backed by the U.S. aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday (2 May), Beijing took the unprecedented step of ordering Chinese companies to defy U.S. sanctions targeting trade with Iran.
Despite this, during a visit to Beijing on Thursday (7 May), U.S. lawmaker and Trump ally Steve Daines spoke positively of a meeting China’s top diplomat Wang Yi had with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi the day before, saying it was evidence of China’s engagement.
A key test could be whether Washington persuades Beijing not to veto a new U.S. drafted UN resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Chinese officials are currently scrutinising the new resolution, but unnamed diplomats told Reuters on Thursday that early signs were not positive.
Another sticking point between the two countries and the primary longstanding source of tension between the U.S. and China is Washington’s weapons sales and diplomatic support to Taiwan.
Taiwan and China split due to the outcome of the civil war in 1949. Taiwan has its own elected government but Beijing claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take it.
The U.S. is bound by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and Xi is expected to raise objections to Washington’s arms sales to the island when he meets Trump.
Ahead of the summit, Chinese officials have put out unusually strong worded statements about the issue.
On Thursday (7 May), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the U.S. must adhere to Beijing’s ‘One China’ principle to maintain good relations.
“The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations,” he said.
An area where there could be more progress between the two superpowers is on industrial and trade matters. Following his meeting with Wang on Thursday, Senator Steve Daines hinted that extra orders of Boeing aeroplanes could be one outcome of talks between Trump and Xi.
“Perhaps we could see some more Boeing airplanes purchased, which I know would be something we would like to see,” he said.
Ahead of the summit, officials from both countries have also been discussing details of a potential deal covering Chinese agricultural purchases, investment agreements and a joint statement on artificial intelligence (AI) safeguards.
Beijing is pushing for the relaxation of sanctions and U.S. tech restrictions, such as Washington’s targeted curbs on the sale of advanced AI chips to China.
Any progress made in these areas, however, could be overshadowed by lack of developments in other areas as uncertainty remains over Washington’s strategy to end the conflict with Iran.
Operations at several energy facilities in Saudi Arabia were suspended on Tuesday after attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces injured more than 70 ...
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at leas...
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday a €200 million (...
At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday a €200 million ($232 million) deal with Greenland, called the Global Gateway Partnership Package, aimed at strengthening the EU-Greenland partnership, amid growing U.S. interest in the Arctic island.
Britain is set to ban trade in goods and some services from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as the government steps up efforts to protect the prospects of a two-state solution.
Female employees at the Eiffel Tower were asked to leave their workstations and step out of sight during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation, prompting a staff protest and an investigation by Paris authorities.
Fresh off President Xi Jinping's state visit to Kyrgyzstan, project officials have announced the successful drilling of a key tunnel along the long-stalled China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, making it the first construction milestone for a flagship Belt and Road project.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment