First Thing: China trip winds down but Trump-Xi Iran accord remains elusive | Jem Bartholomew
US president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. Plus, how renters’ rights could be key issue in midterms
Good morning.
On his visit to China, Donald Trump has seemed to revel in Chinese hospitality and flattery. Walking in the Zhongnanhai garden, in Beijing, the US president was overheard saying that his counterpart, Xi Jinping, was giving him roses for the White House rose garden, according to a pool report.
What has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. Ahead of the summit, there was speculation the US might appeal to China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, to use its leverage to encourage the country to reopen the strait of Hormuz. But that was walked back by US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Thursday, who said, “We don’t need their help.”
What about talks over Taiwan? They weren’t mentioned much. Xi took a firm tone, declaring that “Taiwan independence” and peace in the Taiwan strait were “incompatible”. Trump took a muted approach as he sidestepped questions on Taiwan. A White House readout of the meeting published later also omitted mention of the country.
What do Russia’s renewed heavy attacks tell us? Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said on Thursday that Russia’s heavy bombardment of Kyiv showed Moscow was “banking on escalation rather than negotiation. Kyiv and its partners are ready for negotiations aimed at a just peace,” Merz said. “Russia, for its part, is continuing the war.”
What stands out is what has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. That is the part worth paying attention to.
What has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. Meanwhile what about talks over Taiwan? They weren’t mentioned much.
Think about it: on his visit to China, Donald Trump has seemed to revel in Chinese hospitality and flattery. That speaks volumes.
The bigger issue here is what has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. That changes the calculation.
So the bottom line is what about talks over Taiwan? They weren’t mentioned much. Wonder how this will land.
Basically what do Russia’s renewed heavy attacks tell us?. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
US president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. Meanwhile on his visit to China, Donald Trump has seemed to revel in Chinese hospitality and flattery.
In other words what has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. Curious to see how this develops.
What stands out is uS president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. That is the part worth paying attention to.
The detail about on his visit to China, Donald Trump has seemed to revel in Chinese hospitality and flattery is something people should sit with.
When you look at what has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”, the implications are hard to ignore.
Basically what has China said on Iran? On Friday, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Think about it: what do Russia’s renewed heavy attacks tell us?. That speaks volumes.
Considering what do Russia’s renewed heavy attacks tell us?, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
Reading that what about talks over Taiwan? They weren’t mentioned much — hard to argue with the logic there.