First Thing: China trip winds down but Trump-Xi Iran accord remains elusive
US president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. Plus, how rentersā rights could be key issue in midtermsGood morning.In 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 Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, was giving him roses for the White House Rose Garden, according to a pool report.What has China said on Iran? On Fridy, Chinaās foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened āas soon as possibleā. 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, āWe donāt need their help.āWhat about talks over Taiwan? They werenāt mentioned much. Xi took a firm tone, declaring that āTaiwan independenceā and peace in the Taiwan strait were āincompatibleā. 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 Russiaās renewed heavy attacks tell us? Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said on Thursday that Russiaās heavy bombardment of Kyiv showed Moscow was ābanking on escalation rather than negotiation. Kyiv and its partners are ready for negotiations aimed at a just peace,ā Merz said. āRussia, for its part, is continuing the war.ā Continue reading...
theguardian.com