After Middle East rapprochement, China’s Xi to play peacemaker on Russia visit

China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2023. (Photo courtesy: AFP/File)
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Updated 19 March 2023
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After Middle East rapprochement, China’s Xi to play peacemaker on Russia visit

  • Chinese president Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday in hopes of delivering breakthrough on Ukraine
  • Earlier this month, China mediated talks that led to resumption of diplomatic ties between Tehran, Riyadh

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker.

Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.

Rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the outbreak of war have raised hopes in Western capitals that Xi may lean on his “old friend” Putin to stop his bloody invasion during the three-day state visit.

Announcing the trip Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would “play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.”

“Stopping the war is everyone’s wish, given Europe stands to lose such a lot and the United States may not be able to support Ukraine for as long as it thinks it can,” said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Beijing’s Renmin University of China.

“China can put forth its views on both sides — it can say it is a trusted friend of both Ukraine and Russia. I think this is very significant.”

Beijing, a major Russian ally, has long sought to depict itself as a neutral party to the conflict.

But it has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion and has sharply criticized Washington’s support for Kyiv — leading Western leaders to accuse Beijing of providing diplomatic cover for Russia to bludgeon its European neighbor.

“Beijing has done remarkably little so far to encourage peace in Ukraine, since any credible effort would require pressuring Russia or at least calling Russia out directly,” said Elizabeth Wishnick, a professor and Chinese foreign policy expert at Montclair State University in the United States.

Xi’s trip — which comes after the International Criminal Court on Friday announced an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes accusations — aims “to show whatever support for his strategic partner he can provide, short of aid that would result in sanctions,” she told AFP.

Seeking to play the peacemaker, China last month published a 12-point position paper on the war in Ukraine, calling for dialogue and respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty.

Beijing has also touted its Global Security Initiative (GSI), a hallmark Xi policy that aims to “promote durable peace and development.”

Both documents have drawn ire in the West for dwelling on broad principles instead of practical solutions to the crisis.

China’s recent diplomacy around the war appeared to be “an attempt to highlight” the GSI and “build momentum for its foreign policy and re-engagement with the world,” said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.

“Whether (China) is actually stepping up its efforts to play peacemaker in a meaningful way will depend on the substance of what it proposes during meetings with leaders from Ukraine and Russia,” said Chong, who specializes in Beijing’s international relations.

“Their previous peace plan was more about general principles than actionable proposals.”

Beijing’s efforts to show itself to be an international mediator were front and center this month when it oversaw a deal that restored diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

It later emerged that Xi himself offered for China to serve as a “bridge” between the rivals, challenging Washington’s long-standing role as the main external power broker in the Middle East.

“Brokering the (Saudi-Iran) deal feeds into the Chinese government’s narrative of being a positive-sum global player promoting peace and cooperation that contrasts with Washington’s purportedly destabilising actions,” said University of Southern California assistant professor Audrye Wong.

But stilling the gunfire in Ukraine would be “somewhat harder” than the Saudi-Iran deal, said Wang of Renmin University, citing China’s “limited” influence over Moscow and US backing for Kyiv.

Beijing, he suggested, could help usher in “an armistice similar to the one formed from the Korean War” that stops the fighting but kicks questions of territorial sovereignty further down the road.

But Wishnick, of Montclair State, said Ukraine was “unlikely to accept China as a mediator since it is not viewed as neutral or impartial.”

“Xi may be eager for diplomatic successes, but I just don’t see one on the horizon in Ukraine,” she said.

“Neither side is willing to give up hope yet for territorial gains on the battlefield.”


UN chief says US attacks on Iran nuclear sites a ‘direct threat to international peace and security’

Updated 15 sec ago
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UN chief says US attacks on Iran nuclear sites a ‘direct threat to international peace and security’

  • Other countries began reacting Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution
  • Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu was predictably all praises for Trump’s decision

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday slammed US President Donald Trump’s decision to order US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a “dangerous escalation.”

“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security,” he said in a statement.

“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said.

READ: Transcript of Trump’s speech on US strikes on Iran

Guterres called on member states to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.

“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.  The only hope is peace,” he said.

Other countries began reacting Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution:

Iraq warns US attacks on Iran threaten regional peace

Iraq warned on Sunday that the US attacks on its neighbor Iran’s nuclear facilities threaten peace and stability in the Middle East.

Iraq “expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the targeting of nuclear facilities” in Iran, government spokesperson Basim Alawadi said. “This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability,” he added.

New Zealand

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters urged “all parties to return to talks.”

He wouldn’t tell reporters Sunday whether New Zealand supported President Trump’s actions, saying they had only just happened.

The three-time foreign minister said the crisis is “the most serious I’ve ever dealt with” and that “critical further escalation is avoided.”

“Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action,” he said.

China

A flash commentary from China’s government-run media asked whether the US is repeating “its Iraq mistake in Iran.”

The online piece by CGTN, the foreign-language arm of the state broadcaster, said the US strikes mark a dangerous turning point.

“History has repeatedly shown that military interventions in the Middle East often produce unintended consequences, including prolonged conflicts and regional destabilization,” it said, citing the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.

It said a measured, diplomatic approach that prioritizes dialogue over military confrontation offers the best hope for stability in the Middle East.

Japan

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to hold a meeting with key ministers Sunday afternoon to discuss the impact from the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, according to Japan’s NHK television.

Japan’s largest-circulation newspaper Yomiuri is distributing an extra edition on the attack in Tokyo.

South Korea

South Korea’s presidential office said it would hold an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the security and economic ramifications of the US strikes and potential South Korean responses.

Australia

Australia, which shuttered its embassy in Tehran and evacuated staff Friday, continued to push for a diplomatic end to the conflict.

“We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,” a government official said in a written statement. “We note the US President’s statement that now is the time for peace.”

“The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was predictably all praises for Trump’s decision.

“Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,” he said in a video message directed at the American president.

Netanyahu said the US “has done what no other country on earth could do.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also thanked Trump for his “historic decision to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Today, President Trump proved that ‘Never Again’ is not just a slogan — it’s a policy.”

In Washington, Congressional Republicans — and at least one Democrat — immediately praised Trump after he announced his fateful attack order.

“Well done, President Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X. Texas Sen. John Cornyn called it a “courageous and correct decision.” Alabama Sen. Katie Britt called the bombings “strong and surgical.”
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted: “America first, always.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump “has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime.”

Wicker posted on X that “we now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies.”

The quick endorsements of stepped up US involvement in Iran came after Trump had publicly mulled the strikes for days and many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Saturday evening that “as we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way.”

Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, were briefed ahead of the strikes on Saturday, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Johnson said in a statement that the military operations “should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas, said he had also been in touch with the White House and “I am grateful to the US servicemembers who carried out these precise and successful strikes.”

Breaking from many of his Democratic colleagues, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an outspoken supporter of Israel, also praised the attacks on Iran. “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” he posted. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.”

Both parties have seen splits in recent days over the prospect of striking Iran. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican and a longtime opponent of US involvement in foreign wars, posted on X after Trump announced the attacks that “This is not Constitutional.”

Many Democrats have maintained that Congress should have a say. The Senate was scheduled to vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine requiring congressional approval before the US declared war on Iran or took specific military action.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, posted on X after Trump’s announcement: “According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop.”


Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days

Updated 27 min 48 sec ago
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Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days

  • The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbors

TOKYO: Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo’s coast guard said Sunday.
The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbors.
On Sunday, Japan said it observed four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the “contiguous” zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond Japan’s territorial waters.
Last year, Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain a record 355 times, including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coast guard spokesman told AFP.
Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of the Chinese coast guard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the remote, disputed islands.
Relations between Japan and China were strained by Tokyo’s decision to “nationalize” some of the islands in 2012.
On Friday, Japan’s coast guard and its US and Filipino counterparts staged joint training drills off Japan’s southwest shore — the second time the countries’ coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan.
Territorial disputes with China have pushed Japan to forge deeper ties with the Philippines and the United States.
Earlier this month, Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas.


UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit

Updated 45 min 8 sec ago
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UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit

  • The UN nuclear watchdog says there's 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites.

TEL AVIV: The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that there has been “no increase in off-site radiation levels” after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The UN nuclear watchdog sent the message via the social platform X on Sunday.
“The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” it said. The “IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.”


Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism’s drawbacks

Updated 44 min 23 sec ago
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Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism’s drawbacks

  • Despite popular backlash against the crowds, some tourism officials believe they can be managed with the right infrastructure in place

MADRID: Suitcases rattle against cobblestones. Selfie-snappers jostle for the same shot. Ice cream shops are everywhere. Europe has been called the world’s museum, but its record numbers of visitors have also made it ground zero for concerns about overtourism.
Last year, 747 million international travelers visited the continent, far outnumbering any other region in the world, according to the UN’s World Tourism Barometer. Southern and Western Europe welcomed more than 70 percent of them.
As the growing tide of travelers strains housing, water and the most Instagrammable hotspots in the region, protests and measures to lessen the effects of overtourism have proliferated.
Here’s a look at the issue in some of Europe’s most visited destinations.
What’s causing overtourism
Among factors driving the record numbers are cheap flights, social media, the ease of travel planning using artificial intelligence and what UN tourism officials call a strong economic outlook for many rich countries that send tourists despite some geopolitical and economic tensions.
Citizens of countries like the US, Japan, China and the UK generate the most international trips, especially to popular destinations, such as Barcelona in Spain and Venice in Italy. They swarm these places seasonally, creating uneven demand for housing and resources such as water.
Despite popular backlash against the crowds, some tourism officials believe they can be managed with the right infrastructure in place.
Italy’s Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè said she thinks tourism flows at crowded sites such Florence’s Uffizi Galleries that house some of the world’s most famous artworks could be better managed with AI, with tourists able to buy their tickets when they book their travel, even months in advance, to prevent surges.
She pushed back against the idea that Italy — which like all of its Southern European neighbors, welcomed more international visitors in 2024 than its entire population — has a problem with too many tourists, adding that most visits are within just 4 percent of the country’s territory.
“It’s a phenomenon that can absolutely be managed,” Santanchè told The Associated Press in an interview in her office on Friday. “Tourism must be an opportunity, not a threat — even for local communities. That’s why we are focusing on organizing flows.”
Where overtourism is most intense

Countries on the Mediterranean are at the forefront. Olympics-host France, the biggest international destination, last year received 100 million international visitors, while second-place Spain received almost 94 million — nearly double its own population.
Protests have erupted across Spain over the past two years. In Barcelona, the water gun has become a symbol of the city’s anti-tourism movement after marching protests have spritzed unsuspecting tourists while carrying signs saying: “One more tourist, one less resident!”
The pressure on infrastructure has been particularly acute on Spain’s Canary and Balearic Islands, which have a combined population of less than 5 million people. Each archipelago saw upwards of 15 million visitors last year.
Elsewhere in Europe, tourism overcrowding has vexed Italy’s most popular sites including Venice, Rome, Capri and Verona, where Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” was set. On the popular Amalfi Coast, ride-hailing app Uber offers private helicopter and boat rides in the summer to beat the crowds.
Greece, which saw nearly four times as many tourists as its own population last year, has struggled with the strain on water, housing and energy in the summer months, especially on popular islands such as Santorini, Mykonos and others.
The impact of overtourism
In Spain, anti-tourism activists, academics, and the government say that overtourism is driving up housing costs in city centers and other popular locations due to the proliferation of short-term rentals that cater to visitors.
Others bemoan changes to the very character of city neighborhoods that drew tourists in the first place.
In Barcelona and elsewhere, activists and academics have said that neighborhoods popular with tourists have seen local shops replaced with souvenir vendors, international chains and trendy eateries.
On some of Greece’s most-visited islands, tourism has overlapped with water scarcity as drought grips the Mediterranean country of 10.4 million.
In France, the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, shut down this week when its staff went on strike warning that the facility was crumbling beneath the weight of overtourism, stranding thousands of ticketed visitors lined up under the baking sun.
Angelos Varvarousis, a Barcelona- and Athens-based academic and urban planner who studies the industry, said overtourism risks imposing a “monoculture” on many of Europe’s hotspots.
“It is combined with the gradual loss and displacement of other social and economic activities,” Varvarousis said.
What authorities are doing to cope
Spain’s government wants to tackle what officials call the country’s biggest governance challenge: its housing crunch.
Last month, Spain’s government ordered Airbnb to take down almost 66,000 properties it said had violated local rules — while Barcelona announced a plan last year to phase out all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028. Officials said the measure was to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents.
Elsewhere, authorities have tried to regulate tourist flows by cracking down on overnight stays or imposing fees for those visiting via cruises.
In Greece, starting July 1, a cruise tax will be levied on island visitors at 20 euros ($23) for popular destinations like Mykonos and 5 euros ($5.70) for less-visited islands like Samos.
The government has also encouraged visitors to seek quieter locations.
To alleviate water problems, water tankers from mainland Greece have helped parched islands, and the islands have also used desalination technology, which separates salts from ocean water to make it drinkable, to boost their drinking water.
Other measures have included staggered visiting hours at the Acropolis.
Meanwhile, Venice brought back an entry fee this year that was piloted last year on day-trippers who will have to pay between 5 and 10 euros (roughly $6 to $12) to enter the city during the peak season.


Transcript of Trump’s speech on US strikes on Iran

Updated 22 June 2025
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Transcript of Trump’s speech on US strikes on Iran

  • ‘There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days’

WASHINGTON: A transcript of President Donald Trump’s speech on US airstrikes on Iran on Saturday as transcribed by The Associated Press:

Thank you very much.

A short time ago, the US military carried out massive, precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime. Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise.

Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. Future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.

For 40 years, Iran has been saying. Death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East, and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular. So many were killed by their general, Qassim Soleimani. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue.

I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done. And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.

Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that’s so. I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.

With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago.

Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon. And I want to just thank everybody. And, in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.