Chinese leader welcomed US President with a handshake for a superpower summit
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened high-stakes talks in Beijing on Thursday as tensions over trade, technology, Iran and Taiwan dominate the agenda. The summit comes amid growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing, while both sides seek common ground on global security, economic stability and shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our live coverage for the latest updates:
Trump, Xi agreed Strait of Hormuz ‘must remain open’
US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open”, the White House said, as the two leaders met in Beijing.
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said.
Israel army says striking Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
Israel’s military said it launched strikes against Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Thursday, hours before US-brokered talks between the two countries were set to begin in Washington.
“The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon,” the military said after issuing evacuation warnings for a number of villages in the area.
Gulf countries reject new ‘administration’
Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan condemn, reject Iranian claims regarding new “administration” or “legal rules” for Strait of Hormuz.
The GCC countries urgently submitted a joint letter to the United Nations, addressed to António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Ambassador Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China and President of the Security Council for May, expressing their condemnation and categorical rejection of the recent statements made by an official of Iran regarding the countries of the region and the Strait of Hormuz.
China’s commerce ministry open to expanded US cooperation
China is willing to work with the U.S. to continuously expand its cooperation list, China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yongqian said Thursday.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engaged in “candid, in-depth and constructive” exchanges in South Korea on Wednesday, He said.
For the next step, China is willing to work with the U.S. to expand their cooperation based on the principles of equality, respect and mutual benefit, He said.
They also would shorten the problem list while promoting healthy economic and trade ties between the sides, He said.
Iran war and oil dominate BRICS meet in India
BRICS foreign ministers, including from Iran and Russia, met in New Delhi on Thursday, where India warned of “considerable flux” with conflict driving economic uncertainty and energy insecurity.
War in Iran and the related fuel crisis are dominating discussions in the two-day gathering.
India, which holds the BRICS chair this year, was hosting the foreign ministers from the expanded bloc, which now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – countries at odds over the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
XI says door to American business opening wider
Xi said China’s door of opening to American business will only open wider and wider he told American CEO’s on Wednesday morning during his meeting with Trump, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
Xi said American companies are deeply participating in China’s reform and opening, with both sides benefiting from this. He said China welcomes the U.S. to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China and believes American businesses will have even broader prospects in China, according to Xinhua.
Traveling to China as part of the U.S. delegation are some 17 CEOs, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, the White House says.
Xi tells Trump US, China could ‘come into conflict’ if Taiwan issue mishandled
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that their countries could come into conflict if the issue over Taiwan claimed by Beijing is mishandled, Chinese state media said.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation”.
Xi tells Trump US, China should be ‘partners not rivals’
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump the two countries should be “partners and not rivals” as they met for talks in Beijing on Thursday.
“A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” Xi said.
Xi added he was “happy” to receive Trump for the US leader’s first trip to China since 2017 as “the world has arrived at a new crossroads.”
Tehran demands Kuwait’s release of 4 Iranians detained in the Gulf
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, said Tehran is demanding the immediate release of four Iranian citizens detained by Kuwaiti authorities after an incident in the northern Arabian Gulf. Kuwaiti officials earlier said the four — who allegedly confessed to links with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — were arrested this month as they attempted to land on a Kuwaiti island.
Aragchi accused Kuwait of boarding and attacking an Iranian vessel and said Iran “has the right to respond,” calling the detentions an unlawful attempt to “sow discord.”
Source: Gulfnews
