The Iran war will cast a long shadow over the talks. Plus, the 100 best novels of all time<\/p>\n
Good morning.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing<\/a> on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president since he was last there nearly a decade ago, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.<\/p>\n What is the state of US-China relations?<\/strong> The two countries remain locked in a fragile tariff truce<\/a>, reached last autumn after tensions threatened to erupt into a full-scale trade war. Trump has long complained about China\u2019s trade surplus with the US, while Beijing has opposed American export controls and sanctions.<\/p>\n What is the latest with the US-Iran ceasefire?<\/strong> The war has entered its third month, with Tehran tightening its grip over the strait of Hormuz and Washington struggling<\/a> to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting settlement. Behind the scenes, US officials have spent weeks urging China<\/a> to put pressure on Iran to reopen the strait and accept US terms for peace.<\/p>\n What did the Atlantic <\/strong>allege?<\/strong> It reported that Patel\u2019s alcohol consumption had become \u201ca recurring source of concern across the government\u201d which made him a \u201cnational-security vulnerability\u201d, citing interviews with more than two dozen people including current and former FBI officials. Patel denies all the allegations, calling them \u201coutrageous\u201d and \u201cmalicious\u201d.<\/p>\n Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"