"Trump is eager for China to lean on Tehran to advance peace talks and reopen the strait of Hormuz. To now, Beijing has sat back and watched the US struggle against Iran, at least publicly. But with about half of China's crude oil imports passing through the strait, Xi does want the waterway unblocked. China knows its exports will suffer if a global recession results from an oil supply crisis."
"Complicating the picture, the US this week put sanctions on several Chinese firms accused of assisting Iranian oil shipments and supplying satellite imagery allegedly used in Iranian military operations, claims that Beijing denied. Trump's arrival comes after Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, visited Beijing last week. Beijing is keen to push the US on Taiwan, with Trump saying he is prepared to raise the issue of arms sales to the island, which China claims as a breakaway territory despite never having ruled it."
"In December, Trump authorised an $11bn arms package for Taiwan, the largest weapons sale ever to the island, but no shipments have been made yet. Xi may seek changes in how the US refers to Taiwan. Ideally, from the perspective of Beijing, this would be a statement from Washington opposing Taiwan's independence rather than not supporting it. Taiwan will be watching closely."
"Just two weeks ago, China's foreign minister in a phone call with Marco Rubio urged the US to make the right choices on Taiwan. With Trump known to veer off script, John Kirby, a former US state department and Pentagon spokesperson cautioned: They just have to be so extraordinarily precise when you're talking about Taiwan because, quite frankly, the stakes are enormously high. China and the US are locked into a race on artificial intelligence that is becoming something of a technological cold war."
China relies on the Strait of Hormuz for about half of its crude oil imports and wants the waterway unblocked to avoid export losses from an oil supply crisis. The US seeks China’s pressure on Iran to advance peace talks and reopen the strait, after China previously watched the US struggle against Iran. US sanctions target Chinese firms accused of assisting Iranian oil shipments and providing satellite imagery for Iranian military operations, which Beijing denies. Trump also signals possible changes to US arms sales and language on Taiwan, where no shipments have yet occurred despite an $11bn package authorized in December. China urges the US to make the right choices on Taiwan, while both sides compete in artificial intelligence amid mutual accusations of IP theft.
#china-us-relations #iran-and-strait-of-hormuz #taiwan-arms-and-diplomacy #sanctions #artificial-intelligence-competition
Read at www.theguardian.com
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