Donald Trump lands in China on Wednesday for a summit with Xi Jinping that analysts are calling one of thedefining diplomatic encountersof his presidency.
Washington's attention has been elsewhere for much of the past year - consumed by the Iran conflict, operations in the Western Hemisphere and domestic political battles - butBeijing moves to centre stagethis week. Global trade, the Taiwan question and the race for technological supremacy are all on the table.
Before leaving Washington on Tuesday, Trump told reporters Iran would be high on the agenda as he promised a "long talk" with Xi on the subject.
China has been working alongside Pakistan to broker a settlement, with the two countries putting forward a five-point peace framework in March that includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Behind the scenes, Chinese officials have been gently nudging their Iranian counterparts towards the negotiating table.
Despite its public show of strength, China is eager for the war to end. Slower growth and rising unemployment are already squeezing the Chinese economy, and surging oil prices have added to the pressure - pushing production costs up by 20 per cent for some manufacturers reliant on petrochemicals.
Strategic fuel reserves and China's dominance in clean energy have cushioned some of the blow, but an economy built on exports cannot escape the war's consequences indefinitely. If China is to help broker peace, however, it will expect something in return.
Tehran's decision to send Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Beijing last week was read in Washington as a deliberate display of China's reach and leverage across the Middle East. "I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"And that is that what you are doing in the Strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You're the bad guy in this."
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Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
