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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know US Affairs News India Times (May 16, 2026 - May 22, 2026) May 22, 2026 5 A New Beginning For U.S.-China Relations C hina’s President Xi Jinping hailed on Thursday a “new positioning” of ties with the United States that envisages cooperation with mea- sured competition, following his summit with President Donald Trump. Trump‘s Beijing visit, the first by a U.S. president in nearly a decade, runs until Friday, at a time when his Iran war is dent- ing domestic approval ratings ahead of mid-term elections. Xi said both leaders agreed that build- ing a “constructive, strategically stable relationship” would guide ties in the next three years and beyond, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. Xi described such ties as based primar- ily on cooperation but with measured competition for “a normal stability in which differences are controllable, and a lasting stability in which peace can be expected”, the ministry added. Analysts said the reference to “con- structive strategic stability” showed Chi- na was following gradations in relations that yield a framework for diplomacy in which it can manage multi-faceted ties with the United States. POSITIVE, BUT NOT YET PARTNERS The new Chinese framing echoed the Clinton-era formulation of “constructive strategic partnership” proposed in 1997 – the most positive following the end of the cold war – and signalled China’s desire to put relations on surer footings. Beijing had framed ties withWashing- ton in terms of partnership and coopera- tion in the 2000s and early 2010s. But increasing competition and rivalry after China overtook Japan to become the world’s second largest economy in 2010, as well as Xi’s ascendance to power in 2012 and Trump-induced volatility since 2016, resulted in language of managed inter- dependence, strategic competition and conflict-avoidance. The new framework marks a significant shift away from past “negative characteri- sations” such as great-power competition, saidWangWen, a professor at Beijing’s Renmin University. “The core distinction lies in its em- phasis on a positive model of interaction marked by cooperation as the mainstay, together with measured competition, manageable differences, and a foresee- able prospect of peace,”Wang said. “It’s new language and I think it reflects China’s desire to put more institutional guardrails around U.S.-China relations, both competition and cooperation,” said Joe Mazur, geopolitics analyst at Beijing- based consultancy Trivium China. China and the U.S. “should be partners, rather than rivals,” Xi said while holding a state banquet for Trump on Thursday. But frictions, such as those over the Iran conflict and recent U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms, continue to “complicate U.S.-China dynamics” and may test the durability of the new framework, said Zhao Minghao, an international relations expert at Shanghai’s Fudan University. Even as Xi talked up cooperation, he stressed “utmost caution” by the United States in handling the issue of Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China, although Taipei rejects the contention. “If handled poorly, the two countries could collide or even enter into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into an extremely dangerous situation,” the Chinese leader said. - Reuters By Liz Lee, Xiuhao Chen, Mei Mei Chu PHOTO:REUTERS/EVANVUCCI U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026. T he U.S.-Israeli war in Iran loomed over U.S. Presi- dent Donald Trump‘s visit to China onWednes- day, as signs emerged that the conflict is shifting alliances across the Middle East. Trump arrived in Beijing onWednesday ahead of talks with President Xi Jinping set to begin on Thursday. He is expected to ask for China’s help to resolve the costly and unpopular conflict, which he launched in late Febru- ary, but analysts say he is unlikely to get the support he wants. New reports onWednesday highlighted how the Iran war is accelerating geopolitical realignment across the region. Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly travelled to the UAE in March for talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, which Israel said result- ed in an “historic breakthrough” in Israel’s relations with the UAE. The two countries re-established ties in 2020 as part of the Trump-backed Abraham Accords, and the relationship has strengthened after the UAE came under Iranian attack. But the UAE’s foreign ministry denied that the trip took place. “Any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE,” it said in a statement. Iran, which has struck the UAE more than its neigh- bours in response to the U.S.-Israeli attacks, hit out at the UAE. “Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable. Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X. Separately, Reuters reported that Saudi fighter jets have bombed Iran-backed militias in Iraq, part of a broader pattern of military responses involving Gulf na- tions during the war that have remained hidden. Retalia- tory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into Iraq, sources said. Tehran, meanwhile, has tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war handled one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, accord- ing to sources with knowledge of the matter. Iranian officials have signalled they see that control as a long-term strategic goal. An army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting to twice Iran’s oil income, while strengthen- ing its foreign policy leverage. “After this war ends, there will be no place for retreat,” the spokesperson said, according to comments carried by ISNA news agency. More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, U.S. and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart. Washington has called for Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme and lift its hold on the strait, while Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. blockade and a halt to fighting on all fronts, includ- ing in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has dismissed those positions as “garbage.” Vice President JDVance said onWednesday he believes progress is being made in negotiations. “The fundamen- tal question is, do we make enough progress that we sat- isfy the President’s red line?” Vance told reporters at the White House. “And the red line is very simple. He needs to feel confident that we put a number of protections in Iran War Looms Over Trump’s China Visit, Shifts Alliances PHOTO: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/FILE PHOTO/FILE PHOTO U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) sum- mit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. By Andrea Shalal, Emily Rose, Timour Azhari - Continued On Page 6