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.
The United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian drone targets near Bandar Abbas after intercepting attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz, raisin...
Ukraine will acquire 20 new Swedish Gripen E fighter jets and receive 16 older C/D models next year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime M...
France will become the first country in the European Union to reimburse anti-obesity drugs through its public healthcare system, Health Minister Stép...
A fire tore through a girls’ boarding school dormitory in Kenya’s Rift Valley overnight, killing at least 16 students and injuring dozens more, au...
Senior U.S. State Department officials spent three days in Georgia meeting ministers, opposition figures and Church leaders as Washington intensifies ...
The United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian drone targets near Bandar Abbas after intercepting attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz, raising tensions despite an existing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
France will become the first country in the European Union to reimburse anti-obesity drugs through its public healthcare system, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Thursday (28 May).
Ukraine will acquire 20 new Swedish Gripen E fighter jets and receive 16 older C/D models next year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday (28 May), in a move aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s air force.
A fire tore through a girls’ boarding school dormitory in Kenya’s Rift Valley overnight, killing at least 16 students and injuring dozens more, authorities said on Thursday (28 May).
Chinese investigators have uncovered hidden tunnels, missing worker trackers and fake underground walls during an initial investigation into the country’s deadliest mining disaster in more than 15 years.
Dozens of people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese officials said, straining a fragile ceasefire agreed between the countries in April. The attacks came as Iran accused the U.S. of violating a separate ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
The visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Armenia marks one of the clearest signs yet of Washington’s growing interest in the South Caucasus.
As climate pressures and urbanisation accelerate worldwide, governments are increasingly investing in smart cities and villages to build more sustainable and resilient communities. Across the world, digital technologies are reshaping how cities and rural areas are planned and managed.
Ukraine will acquire 20 new Swedish Gripen E fighter jets and receive 16 older C/D models next year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday (28 May), in a move aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s air force.
France will become the first country in the European Union to reimburse anti-obesity drugs through its public healthcare system, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Thursday (28 May).
A fire tore through a girls’ boarding school dormitory in Kenya’s Rift Valley overnight, killing at least 16 students and injuring dozens more, authorities said on Thursday (28 May).
Italian authorities have seized assets and companies worth more than €200 million ($232 million) in a major investigation into an international money-laundering network linked to late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 28 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment