Latest news with #Xi
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First Post
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- First Post
As Trump, Starmer lean towards Israel against Iran, Xi and Putin join hands in opposition
The Israel-Iran conflict has turned into a competition between the two global blocs as US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have put their weight behind Israel and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have rallied around Iran. read more As the United States and United Kingdom have leaned towards Israel and China and Russia have sided with Iran, the West Asia crisis appears to be turning into a confrontation between the two global blocs. But it is far from clear which side will come out on the top. Except for the United States, no other world power has offered to side with one side in the conflict militarily. Despite being allies, China and Russia have not offered indication that they would get militarily involved to save Ayatollah Khamenei's regime in Iran. The UK has indicated that it could join any US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in at least a supporting role. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even though they cannot do much to help Iran, Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, are trying to make the most of the ongoing conflict. They are pitching themselves as the alternative to the US-led world order. They are also trying to portray the Israeli war on Iran as an extension of the war in the Gaza Strip — a conflict whose toll has garnered Israel worldwide criticism. In a telephonic call, Xi and Putin condemned the Israeli campaign against Iran and called it a breach of the United Nations Charter and international law. Xi & Putin join hands for Iran — but stay away from war Xi and Putin have indeed joined hands in support of Iran, but they have stood away from the war — unlike Trump who has indicated the US involvement in the war in support of Israel is imminent. In an apparent message for Trump, Xi said that 'major powers' that have a special influence on either side should work to 'cool the situation, not the opposite'. Russia has also asked the United States to not join Israel in the war on Iran. Ironically, even as Xi and Putin have asked Trump to stay out of the conflict, Putin is waging a war on Ukraine in which he is committed to the total subjugation of Ukraine and the destruction of Ukrainian nationhood. Xi is keeping the Russian war economy running. Xi himself has committed to the occupation and merger of the self-ruled island of Taiwan with China — forcefully if required. As Russia is bogged down in the war on Ukraine and China is way too far and not interested in a military confrontation with the West, Iran cannot expect any direct help from either of its main allies — even as both allies milk the situation by trying to shape public opinion and establish themselves as a voice of reason against what they call a Western-sponsored unfair war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Stakes are high for Russia & China While the stakes for Khamenei are definitely existential, the stakes are quite high for Russia and China as well. For a long time, Russia and China had formed an anti-Western bloc with North Korea and Iran. In West Asia, Iran was the fulcrum of the bloc in countering the influence of the United States and Israel. Iran had also been supported Russia in the war on Ukraine. As Iran has been reduced to a shadow of its former self, Russia and China have lost a counterweight to the West in West Asia. 'The collapse of the current regime would be a significant blow and would generate a lot of instability in the Middle East, ultimately undermining Chinese economic and energy interests,' Andrea Ghiselli, a scholar of China's relations in West Asia and North Africa, told The Daily Telegraph. As for Russia, the degradation of Khamenei's regime, even if short of an outright collapse, would mean the second setback within months in West Asia. Late last year, as opposition forces ousted longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Russia lost sway over the country. Russia had projected power along the southern flank of Nato through ports and airbases in Syria. With Assad's ouster, Russia lost those footholds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
an hour ago
- Business
- First Post
Trump creates tariff firewall against China, its companies turn attention to Brazil
China's energy strategy faces disruption as Israel's strikes on Iran threaten key oil supply routes. With US trade tensions rising, Chinese firms are pivoting to Brazil while Beijing accelerates its push for energy self-sufficiency. Analysts warn the conflict could weaken China's regional influence and diplomatic ambitions. read more China's decades-long push to secure energy dominance through partnerships with Iran is facing a major test as the Israel-Iran war threatens to choke Beijing's oil supply lines and disrupt its regional ambitions. The fallout, combined with escalating trade tensions with Washington, is prompting a reorientation of Chinese corporate interests toward markets like Brazil, according to a report by the Financial Times. Chinese President Xi Jinping this week urged restraint from all sides in the escalating Middle East conflict, while also criticising US interference in China's trade with Iran. Yet, concerns in Beijing are mounting as Israel continues to target Iranian oil and nuclear facilities. Analysts say this not only jeopardises China's access to cheap Iranian crude but also threatens its broader diplomatic and energy strategy in the region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'If this situation continues to escalate, then they lose quite a bit, both in terms of their energy security and Iran as a strategic card that China holds,' said Gedaliah Afterman of Israel's Abba Eban Institute, speaking to FT. Iran has become a vital energy partner for China, particularly since US-led sanctions intensified in 2018. China buys the bulk of Iran's oil exports—reaching as much as 1.6 million barrels a day at its peak in 2024—and supplies Tehran with essential goods, including electronics, vehicles, and even nuclear equipment. But Iranian shipments to China dropped to 740,000 barrels a day by April, driven by fears of further sanctions and intensifying regional instability. The risk of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—through which billions of dollars in Gulf oil flows to China adds to Beijing's anxiety. While some Chinese analysts say OPEC+ producers may fill the gap in a worst-case scenario, any broader disruption would drive up prices and hit China's energy security. China's reliance on Gulf suppliers is significant. Besides Iran, Saudi Arabia is its largest oil provider outside Russia. In natural gas, over a quarter of China's LNG imports last year came from Qatar and the UAE. Even with long-term contracts, Chinese importers may be forced to turn to the spot market at higher costs if the regional crisis widens. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The FT report also highlights that President Xi's broader strategy of energy self-sufficiency may now accelerate. China is already the world's top user of oil, but under Xi, it has embarked on a massive renewable push. Solar and wind now make up 56% of total electricity power plant capacity, up from a third ten years ago. 'This crisis will only make Beijing double down,' said Neil Beveridge of Bernstein Research. 'If it wasn't happening fast enough before, it will be happening even faster now.' At the same time, the US-China rivalry continues to simmer. Former President Donald Trump has moved to harden trade restrictions on Beijing, creating what analysts describe as a 'tariff firewall.' Facing mounting pressure, many Chinese firms are increasingly eyeing Brazil as an alternative trade partner and investment destination, particularly in sectors like agriculture, green energy, and critical minerals. Beijing's broader diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East have also taken a hit. China's influence surged with its mediation of the 2023 Saudi-Iran deal and its 25-year cooperation pact with Tehran. But analysts were quoted by FT as highlighting its role as a neutral broker has been diminished by the latest conflict and its cautious response. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The demise or the collapse of the Iranian system or the Iranian power as we knew it is not good news for China,' Yun Sun of the Stimson Center told FT. 'That indirectly means that American influence has expanded.' Experts echoed that for Beijing, the Israel-Iran war is a stark reminder of the vulnerability in its foreign energy bets and the geopolitical limits of its global aspirations.
Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon talks trade in meeting with China's Xi
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 15:08 The prime minister of New Zealand stressed the mutual benefits of trade with China in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, while acknowledging their disagreements on geopolitical issues. Christopher Luxon, on his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in late 2023, flew to Beijing after two days of meetings with officials and business leaders in Shanghai, China's commercial center. He wants to maintain healthy trade ties despite differences over regional and global security issues and China's growing divide with the United States. China is an important market for New Zealand food, dairy and other exports. Xi told Luxon that the two countries should seek common ground while setting aside their differences, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. He called for deepening trade and investment cooperation and exploring cooperation in areas such as climate. Luxon raised the necessity of reducing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a news release from his office. He also brought up the importance of what he called "the key role" that China can play in helping to resolve global challenges such as the war in Ukraine, "In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever," Luxon said in a post about the meeting on X. His exchange with Xi came one day after revelations that New Zealand had suspended millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands over concerns about the latter's deepening ties with China. China accounts for more than 20% of New Zealand's exports of goods and services. "Our trade and economic links are complementary and contribute to prosperity in both countries," Luxon was quoted as saying in the news release. New Zealand announced this week a limited easing of visa requirements for Chinese visitors, a major source of tourism revenue. Luxon is headed to Europe next, where he will have meetings in Brussels and the Netherlands, his office said. He will discuss trade, security and geopolitical issues with European Union leaders. In the Netherlands, he is an invited guest to next week's NATO summit in The Hague.
Time Magazine
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
‘If Middle East Is Unstable, World Will Not Be at Peace': How China Views the Israel-Iran War
Iran's friends don't like the war decimating Tehran, but they're not ready to join the fight against Israel and potentially the U.S. Instead, Russia and now China have urged deescalation, emphasizing the dangerous consequences the escalating conflict could have on the whole world. 'If the Middle East is unstable, the world will not be at peace,' Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday. 'If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly.' 'The warring parties, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent a cycle of escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' Xi added. Xi's comments came in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which both leaders called for a ceasefire, according to a readout by China's foreign ministry. Earlier this week, Russia warned that Israel's attacks have brought the world 'millimeters' from nuclear calamity, and Putin urged Trump against attacking Iran, as the President is mulling direct U.S. military engagement in the war that has already killed hundreds in Iran and dozens in Israel. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions, which violate the U.N. Charter and other norms of international law.' Ushakov added that Xi expressed support for Putin's suggestion to mediate the conflict, an offer Trump said he has rejected. China, like Russia, has also positioned itself as a potential peacebroker, though experts say it's unlikely Israel would accept Beijing as a neutral conciliator, given its past criticisms of Israel and ties with Iran. Here's what to know about how China has responded so far to the conflict and what it may see is at stake. Rhetorical but not material support 'Iran doesn't need communiqués or declarations, but concrete help, like anti-aircraft systems or fighter jets,' Andrea Ghiselli, a Chinese foreign policy expert at the University of Exeter, told France 24. But communiqués and declarations are all China is likely to offer, experts tell TIME. William Figueroa, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Groningen, tells TIME that China's lack of military support should not come as a surprise. China has historically followed a policy of non-interference, focusing more on domestic issues while aiming to avoid entanglement in protracted foreign conflicts. Earlier this year, China similarly called on both India and Pakistan, the latter being an ' ironclad friend ' of China, to show restraint. And while it has been accused of providing ' very substantial ' support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, China has maintained that it doesn't provide weapons or troops to its neighbor. (Reports suggest, however, that its material support has included lethal systems.) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the White House doesn't see 'any signs' of China providing military support to Iran 'at this moment in time.' Instead, China has offered words. Beijing has been 'harshly critical' of Israel, says Figueroa. In separate calls with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts over the past weekend, after Israel launched an attack on Friday against Iran, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China 'explicitly condemns Israel's violation of Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.' It has also publicly advised the U.S. against greater involvement in the conflict. 'The heating up of the Middle East region serves no one's interests,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. 'To fan up the flames, use threats and exert pressure does not help deescalate the situation and will only aggravate tensions and enlarge the conflict.' 'The international community, especially influential major countries, should uphold a fair position and a responsible attitude to create the necessary conditions for promoting a ceasefire and returning to dialogue and negotiation so as to prevent the regional situation from sliding into the abyss and triggering a greater disaster,' a Chinese state-media editorial declared on Thursday. China's diplomatic response reflects its priority to 'lower the temperature,' says Figueroa, particularly in tensions with the U.S. Diplomatic limitations China has sought to deepen its investments and influence in the Middle East over the years, which has raised the expectations of its regional diplomacy to 'sky high' levels, says Figueroa. But while Beijing touted brokering a historic truce between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, the task before it now is much taller. Wang, the Chinese foreign minister, said China is 'ready to play a constructive role' in resolving the conflict, according to foreign ministry readouts of his calls with both Iran and Israel, but unlike with Saudi Arabia and Iran, Figueroa says, Israel has expressed no interest in negotiating a resolution. And even if Israel was interested in coming to the table, China is unlikely to be seen as a neutral arbiter given its ties with Iran, criticisms of Israel including over Gaza, and ongoing global power competition with the U.S., Israel's biggest ally. China has developed strong economic ties with Iran over the years, becoming Iran's largest trading partner and export market, especially for oil—a critical lifeline for Iran as the U.S. has placed severe economic sanctions on the country. Iran joined BRICS, the intergovernmental group China has viewed as an alternative collective of emerging powers to the Western-oriented G7, in 2024; joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Beijing-backed security group, in 2023; and the two countries signed a 25-year cooperative agreement in 2021. While China has also maintained an economic relationship with Israel—China is Israel's second-biggest trading partner and the two countries have had an 'innovative comprehensive partnership' since 2017—Figueroa says it's 'not close enough to have a serious influence over Israel's actions.' When asked about the possibility of China acting as a mediator, Israel's Ambassador to Beijing Eli Belotserkovsky told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, 'at this stage, we are concentrating on the military campaign. This is our main concern at the moment, and we need to see how things will develop.' Still, he added that Israel would 'continue talking to China as [part of] an ongoing process.' Failure to help bring peace to the Middle East could seriously dampen China's recent efforts to portray itself as an effective global peacebroker, especially after Ukraine already rejected a peace plan Beijing had proposed in 2023. And if Iran's regime falls, Marc Lanteigne, an associate professor of political science at the Arctic University of Norway, told France 24, the China-mediated truce with Saudi Arabia would also risk 'going up in smoke.' 'It is hard to predict how the conflict itself might impact [China's diplomatic] efforts,' Figueroa says. 'A wider conflict would undoubtedly complicate Chinese diplomatic efforts, which largely rest on their ability to provide economic development.' Economic concerns While the Iran-China trade balance is largely skewed in China's favor— around a third of Iranian trade is with China, but less than 1% of Chinese trade is with Iran —China is heavily dependent on the Middle East's oil. 'China is by far the largest importer of Iranian oil,' according to a statement in March by the U.S. State Department, which added: 'The Iranian regime uses the revenue it generates from these sales to finance attacks on U.S. allies, support terrorism around the world, and pursue other destabilizing actions.' Sara Haghdoosti, executive director of public education and advocacy coalition Win Without War, tells TIME that China 'has a vested interest in seeing the conflict end before Israel strikes more of Iran's oil infrastructure.' But China is less dependent on Iran itself than on access to the region's reserves. 'The Islamic Republic is a replaceable energy partner,' according to a Bloomberg analysis. For global oil markets too, changes to Iran's supply alone are unlikely to cause significant price disruptions. 'Even in the unlikely event that all Iranian exports are lost, they could be replaced by spare capacity from OPEC+ producers,' assessed credit agency Fitch Ratings earlier this week. Around 20% of the world's oil trade, however, passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close in retaliation if the U.S. joins the war. 'If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists, it is the legitimate right of Iran in view of pressuring the U.S. and Western countries to disrupt their oil trade's ease of transit,' said Iranian lawmaker Ali Yazdikhah on Thursday, according to state-sponsored Iranian news agency Mehr News. Doing so would also impact China, for which more than 40% of crude oil imports come from the Middle East. The conflict's 'greatest impact on China could be on energy imports and supply chain security,' Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the South China Morning Post. 'While Beijing will continue to condemn the conflict, it will also seek to balance ties with Israel and the Gulf states and promote stable energy flows,' according to Bloomberg's analysts, especially as surging commodity prices would exacerbate domestic economic growth challenges already hampered by the trade war with the U.S. and an ongoing real estate crisis. In response to a question about the potential interruption of Iranian oil supplies to China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reiterated on Tuesday the need to 'ease tensions as soon as possible' in order to 'prevent the region from spiraling into greater turmoil.' A contained conflict could be good for China 'If a wider conflict breaks out,' Figueroa says, 'the impact on China's economic projects and investments in the region would be significant.' Foreign policy analyst Wesley Alexander Hill noted in a Forbes op-ed that an escalated conflict could force China into a bind between taking 'decisive action' to defend Iran, which might alienate Saudi Arabia, or doing nothing militarily and letting Israeli and potentially U.S. attacks 'continue to degrade Iranian export capacity,' which would leave other regional partners with a 'dim view [of] what Chinese commitment under pressure looks like.' Still, some analysts have suggested that China—as well as Russia—may be content for now to sit back and let things play out, with their higher priorities clearly elsewhere. According to Bloomberg Economics analyst Alex Kokcharov, a contained conflict in the Middle East could 'distract Washington from strategic competition with China.' Added Bloomberg's bureau chief in China, Allen Wan, in a newsletter Friday: 'Should the U.S. once again get tangled up in a war in the Middle East, that'd probably suit China just fine. Beijing and the [People's Liberation Army] would appreciate the chance to squeeze Taiwan tighter.' 'At very least, both powers [Russia and China] are content to watch the U.S. further squander goodwill with gulf Arab partners by backing another destabilizing conflict in the region,' Haghdoosti, the Win Without War executive director, tells TIME. And they, she adds, are likely 'shedding no tears that the U.S. military is currently burning through stocks of difficult-to-replenish missile defense interceptors to shield Israel.'
The Star
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Leaders of China, New Zealand discuss trade, Pacific security
Visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to their bilateral meeting in Beijing, on June 20, 2025. - AP BEIJING/SYDNEY: The leaders of China and New Zealand discussed on Friday (June 20) the role of trade in boosting ties, while New Zealand also pressed its interests for peace and security in the Pacific, government statements showed. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met in the capital's Great Hall of the People as China's influence grows in the Pacific, challenging the traditionally stronger security foothold many Western nations have had there. On his first visit to China since taking office in November 2023, Luxon discussed the need for stability, less tension in the Indo-Pacific and New Zealand's "enduring support for Pacific-led priorities", his government said in a statement. Luxon's meeting with the leader of New Zealand's biggest trade partner was "constructive", he said in a post on X. "We discussed the depth of the New Zealand-China relationship - from trade and people-to-people ties to our shared global responsibilities," he said. "In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever." The remarks came after New Zealand aired concerns this year when Cook Islands, with which it has constitutional ties, signed pacts with China without first consulting it, including one for cooperation on the economy, infrastructure and seabed mining. Luxon also backed up the role of the Pacific Islands Forum, an inter-government body seeking to foster cooperation among Oceanic countries and territories. Without making specific reference to any issue, Xi called for both countries to seek common ground and view differences "accurately", state news agency Xinhua said. "There are no historical grudges or conflicts of interest between China and New Zealand, so we should respect each other, seek common ground," Xi told Luxon, it said, adding that both must accurately look at and tackle disagreements. During his four-day visit to the commercial hub of Shanghai and the capital, Beijing, Luxon has championed an agenda of boosting business, travel and education for New Zealand. Xi also talked about deepening trade and investment ties, as well as scope to work on science and technology, climate change response and infrastructure along with education exchanges - echoing most of Luxon's goals. Luxon documented his meetings on Instagram, posting video messages to fellow citizens reinforcing his mission of getting "money into your back pocket". He clinched travel-related pacts and pushed New Zealand's tertiary education as well as its exports of meat, a key item of trade with China after dairy. Its exports to China were NZ$20.85 billion ($12.51 billion) in 2024, comprising goods worth NZ$17.75 billion and services of NZ$3.1 billion, the foreign ministry said on its website. Chinese tourists are New Zealand's third-largest group of international visitors, though official data show their numbers are still nearly a fifth lower than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. China Eastern Airlines will launch more flights with New Zealand from December, the New Zealand government said on Wednesday. Days before the visit, New Zealand unveiled a 12-month trial of visa waivers from November for Chinese passport holders arriving from Australia with valid visas from its neighbour. - Reuters
