UK News
Trump-Xi summit live: US president preparing to meet China’s leader with trade, Taiwan and the Iran war set to dominate talks | Donald Trump
Key events
Xi Jinping has walked down stairs in Tinanman Square as a US motorcade drives towards the area.
US officials including secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also gathering.
From Beijing we’re seeing live images of an honour guard marching into position before a welcome ceremony for Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People – due to start in minutes .
Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
During the summit, Donald Trump also intends to raise the idea of the US, China and Russia signing a pact that would set limits on the nuclear weapons each nation keeps in its arsenal, according to a senior Trump administration official who spoke anonymously in briefing reporters ahead of the trip.
China has previously been cool to entering such a pact. Beijing’s arsenal, according to Pentagon estimates, exceeds more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and is far from parity with the US and Russia, which each are estimated to have more than 5,000 nuclear warheads.
The last nuclear arms pact between Russia and the US – known as the New Start treaty – expired in February. As it was set to expire, Trump rejected a call by Russia to extend the two-country deal for another year and called for “a new, improved and modernised” deal that includes China.
Rubio says US will urge Beijing to be more ‘active’ in resolving Iran war – report
Marco Rubio says American officials will try to persuade China to take a more “active role” in resolving the conflict in Iran, Fox News is reporting.
The US secretary of state told the network from aboard Air Force One while en route to China that the US had made its case to Beijing on why it should engage in efforts to settle simmering tensions with Iran.
“It’s in their interest to resolve this,” Rubio said.
We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they’re doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf.”
Among the big tech leaders who (eventually) flew to China with Trump on Air Force One is Jensen Huang, the president and CEO of Nvidia.
Trump was reportedly picked up Huang in Alaska en route to the Beijing summit, while the presidential plane was refuelling. Trump asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip, Reuters quoted a source as saying. Huang had not figured on an initial list of travelling executives provided by the White House.
Various media outlets had reported on Huang’s apparent omission after the plane had departed for Alaska and Beijing. Trump later posted from Air Force One saying Huang was onboard and he denied the CEO had not been invited.
The Nvidia boss is close to Trump, but in April Huang criticised the US’s limitations on chip sales to China, saying he didn’t want a “loser mentality” to cost the US its edge in AI. The sale of US semiconductors to China is believed to be a key agenda item for the summit.
Here are some photos of US snipers and other security forces watching over Air Force One while it refuelled on Tuesday at Joint Base Elmendorf in Anchorage, Alaska.
Amy Hawkins
Donald Trump will drive through a Chinese capital that is smoggier than it was on his last visit in 2017, when the authorities launched emergency measures to clear the skies of pollution days before his first state visit to Beijing.
Factories were ordered to halt production and heavily polluting cars were banned from the roads in the days ahead of the US president’s trip nearly a decade ago, an era in which China had declared war on air pollution and made special efforts to clear the skies ahead of important political events such as visiting dignitaries and the Beijing Olympics.
No such efforts have been made this year. The air quality index in the capital is over 150 today, well over the World Health Organization’s guidelines for healthy air, shrouding the city in a greyish smog full of pollutants that are harmful to human health.
In recent years China’s fight against air pollution has slowed. That is partly because huge improvements have already been made: last year average levels of PM2.5 in Beijing – the most harmful particulate in air pollution – dropped to below 30 for the first time since records began more than a decade ago.
But heavily polluted skies remain a fairly common occurrence. And a visit from the US president is no longer a reason to clear them.
Trump is soon to kick off the busiest part of his China trip.
He arrived in Beijing late on Wednesday but on Thursday the summit begins in earnest.
Xi Jinping will officially welcome the US president during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People reportedly beginning at 10am local time – just under 45 minutes away – followed by bilateral talks.
Then there’s some cultural programming – a visit to the Temple of Heaven – before a state banquet capping the day.
This trip is expected to be long on pageantry and symbolism, as the Associated Press reports, but neither side has yet offered concrete details on what Trump or Xi will come away with.
David Smith
I’m now sitting in the press filing centre at the China World Hotel in Beijing. Two American flags and a wooden lectern bearing a “United States embassy Beijing” seal stand on a black podium against a black curtain beneath a giant crystal chandelier.
There are TVs on either side of the podium: one showing CNN, the other Fox News. Sadly, that is as close as many reporters will get to seeing Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in action today.
And there is no guarantee that anyone will appear at the lectern to brief the media, who are sitting on 10 rows of desks covered with blue tablecloths.
The busiest man here today is an IT consultant from the phone and internet company AT&T, who is fielding queries from hapless journalists about VPNs trying to circumvent China’s Great Firewall.
But for western media there are creature comforts nearby. The hotel connects to a luxury mall that includes Peet’s Coffee, Starbucks, Chanel, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Armani, Givenchy and Hugo Boss.
David Smith
Greetings from Beijing, where I awoke to CNN coverage of Chinese social media mocking Donald Trump and America as a fading superpower.
CNN noted that China’s tough internet censors had evidently allowed these comments to appear. But then my TV suddenly “lost signal”, which felt suspicious, though the coverage soon resumed.
Outside a lift on the 10th floor of the press hotel I bumped into Jacqui Heinrich, senior White House correspondent of the conservative Fox News channel. She had travelled with Trump on the long Air Force One flight but noted that, unusually, he did not come to the press cabin to “gaggle” with reporters.
Perhaps he was having too much fun with Elon Musk? Or maybe White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had intervened to make sure he didn’t make flip comment about Taiwan?
Trump’s arrival in Beijing – in pictures
Here are some images of Donald Trump’s welcome in China after touching down aboard Air Force One at Beijing capital international airport on Wednesday night.
The president is also travelling with a large contingent of business leaders that reportedly includes:
-
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and Space X CTO
-
Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO
-
Tim Cook, Apple CEO
-
Kelly Ortberg, Boeing CEO
-
Dina Powell McCormick, Meta president and vice chairman
-
Larry Fink, Blackrock chairman and CEO
-
Other banking, finance and tech executives
So who else travelled with Trump on Air Force One to China? According to a partial list provided by the White House: US secretary of state Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and senior adviser Stephen Miller.
Also onboard were Eric and Lara Trump, plus an array of White House advisers, strategists, speech writers and communications executives.
Iran war and the other big questions hanging over Trump-Xi summit
One of Trump’s pressing concerns as he visits Beijing is how to find a way to reopen the strait of Hormuz, through which half of China’s crude oil passes.
China has been more insulated from the energy shock than other Asian countries, thanks to its diversified energy mix and large stockpiles. But the risk of a global recession – which the International Monetary Fund has warned is a possible outcome of the Iran war – is a bigger threat to China’s economy.
About a fifth of China’s GDP comes from exports. If the rest of the world is no longer able to spend money on goods, China will suffer.
There’s speculation Trump could use the summit to seek Beijing’s help to end the war with China-allied Iran. But the US president told reporters before departing the White House on Tuesday:
I don’t think we need any help with Iran. We’ll win it one way or the other – peacefully or otherwise.”
Trump also sought to play down divisions with Beijing, saying Xi had been “relatively good” during the crisis.
The Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins, has examined the biggest questions hanging over the Trump-Xi talks, which begin later today.
The Trump-Xi summit will span two days. It was originally scheduled for late March or early April but was delayed due to the Iran war.
Now that Trump is in China, here are some of the hazards the US president faces.
Welcome
Donald Trump’s state visit to China this week is the first by a US president in nearly a decade and comes amid a time of geopolitical upheaval, a Middle East war with no end in sight and a sometimes rocky relationship between the world’s two major superpowers.
Aside from discussions about Iran, Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to discuss trade and tariffs, Taiwan and AI.
Stay with us as we cover this high-stakes visit. It’s approaching 8.10am in Beijing.
The man has also been charged with possession of an article with blade in a public place and threats to kill.
Source link
UK News
World Cup Q&A: ‘Are you allowed to be scared of the prospect of losing to Haiti? Of course you are!’ | Football
Key events
Ewan Murray
Thank you for all the questions; including because you proved I am not nearly as good at thinking on my feet as I thought I was. I hope everyone enjoys the World Cup and that Scotland make a proper impact here. Enjoy the coverage …
What would Burns say?
BobbiJane15: Clarkie and wee Billy Gilmour are both from Ayrshire. Can you think of a Burns quote that would give the team a boost?
That’s a brilliant question. And with family heritage there, I should have a smart answer. Unfortunately, I will have to leave for others, besides pointing out that if the Scotland team is even nearly as “prolific” as the national bard …
How big a miss is Billy Gilmour?
whatthatguysaid asks: Is Gilmour a big miss for Scotland, or would Clarke not have used him much anyway? I’m torn between loving having a classy ball player in the team, and being worried about him playing neat little passes only to find Grant Hanley is on the receiving end.
You are quite right to point out Clarke had a tendency not to use Gilmour when others expected he would (the Germany game in the last Euros an example). I just feel really sorry for the player; his Euro 2020/21 was ruined by Covid. It’s also fine to say the team can manage without him.
Am I allowed to be scared at the prospect of Haiti?
Dumbuck asks: As one who attended the Costa Rica debacle in Genoa in 1990, am I allowed to be scared shitless by the prospect of facing Haiti in our opening game?
Of course you are! I remember that day because, as a schoolboy, I placed a can of Irn-Bru in the freezer with a plan to drink it during the second half. I forgot all about the can, which exploded. You can imagine my mother’s delight at the subsequent state of the freezer.
What will you wear to matches?
Murdomania asks: I’ve dusted off my John Collier suit of 1978 (which served me well until 1982 – jacket, not the trousers by this point). What item of clothing will you be wearing to mark WC 2026?
It’s a shorts and T-shirt World Cup. Steaming hot. Everywhere.
Who should have been in the Scotland squad?
Fran2016 asks: Is there anyone who has not been selected for the Scotland squad who you think was desperately unlucky to not make it? Or do you feel Clarke got his choices correct?
I think he called it all right. The big decision obviously came after Billy Gilnour was injured. Picking Tyler Fletcher ahead of Lennon Miller turned heads. Fletcher, to me, looks to have a really bright future and massively impressed experienced players during training sessions. I hope Miller responds to the point where Clarke cannot ignore him but, in the here and now, Fletcher to me looks the better player.
Kieron Bowie and Oli McBurnie had strong cases but I generally find it hard to grumble with the squad.
Will Morocco be tougher than Brazil?
waefall asks: How seriously should we take Morocco? They’re my wildcard to go all the way, so I fear they could be even tougher than Brazil.
Very. But there is no question of anything else happening. In previous years – Costa Rica, Peru, Iran, Zaire – there was ignorance among Scotland players/staff/media about national teams we typically saw little of. That harmed Scotland. Now, there is so much information about opposition and, in Morocco’s case, a general understanding they are very good. I just think the position of that game is problematic for Scotland; I expect Morocco will be hungry for victory after an opening game loss to Brazil.
Does Scottish football offer more hope than its politicians?
seanmcnulty asks: Do you agree with William McIlvanney about the connections between Scotland’s World Cup fiascoes and our political fiascoes, and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory becoming a national trait in the widest sense? If so, what’ll happen to us after we reach this year’s semis?
There are so many ways I could answer this … But a debate on the merits of Scottish independence isn’t something I’d rather enter into at this point. Generally I have always agreed with both McIlvanneys. I also think the current crop of Scottish international football players operate at a far more impressive level than Scotland’s current crop of politicians.
How much is Shankland worth to Rangers?
CogitoErgoSumAnxius asks: How much can Rangers expect to get for Lawrence Shankland once the slow-motion maestro finishes top scorer of the group stage having made a fool of Marquinhos?
This made me laugh. More intriguing to me is whether Rangers would have bought him. He was a no-brainer on a free transfer but would they have paid even £1m for him? I’m not so sure. But perhaps I am being sour …
His current form and mood will be a huge asset to Scotland. Suddenly it looks like Steve Clarke has a reliable goalscorer, who partners exceptionally well with Che Adams.
What should we call Scotland v Haiti?
PeteTheBeat asks: In one office I worked in, we would make up tabloid names for certain games: England-Uruguay was for “The Fray Bentos Trophy” or Ireland Mexico being the Tricolour Derby.
What would we call Scotland v Haiti ?
Group C, both teams back at a World Cup after decades away. The Boston C Party? Sorry.
Who will be the surprise package?
Chrisquinze asks: Which team is your true “dark horse”. ie not Turkey, Norway, Japan etc that keep getting mentioned?
You are robbing me of my Japanese obsession. Fair enough. Côte d’Ivoire.
Will anyone be taking the knee?
JuiceSpritz asks: Will any team “take the knee” during the competition?
I genuinely haven’t heard that being talked about. So my sense is, no. But clearly we will have to wait and see.
Which players will come out of nowhere?
bowboysammy asks: Do you have a pick for a player coming out of nowhere who amazes us?
It is very difficult for a player to come out of nowhere now. Touching on answer below, I really enjoy watching Japan and think they have a batch of attackers who are really exciting. My bet is one or more of them achieve big transfers on the back of this World Cup.
How difficult was it to get into the US?
ayjaym asks: How far back in cleaning your social media profile did you have to go to get into the US?
I didn’t! Which is either the result of me coming to the US all the time to cover golf or a lack of interest in the corridors of power about my rantings towards Scottish referees.
How badly have Fifa fouled up?
RHConnon asks: Are you as disappointed (though not surprised) by the utter spinelessness of Fifa regarding, well, everything to do with this tournament as I am?
What is obvious is that their marketing budget was either too small or not appropriately used. If you look closely in the US, you will know the World Cup is happening. But you have to look closely. I’d suggest a key aim of a World Cup is to grab the attention of the host nation. That really doesn’t seem to have happened here. Yet, anyway.
Who will be the group stage entertainers?
OttoMaddox asks: What are the most promising group-stage games in terms of it actually being an entertaining game for the neutrals? Do any stick out?
I really enjoy watching Japan. That group has potential to be really entertaining, especially with the Dutch also involved. That also appears a pretty level/even section. A lot of the others have one or two noticeably weaker teams (in relative terms).
What are the chances of a Iran v US match?
KTwoDJF asks: I know that there is technically a path to it, but what are the chances USA will be knocked out of the tournament by Iran ?
I have the USA being knocked out by Belgium. But I also have the USA winning their section; the mood in this country does not seem to suggest much confidence at all in that happening.
Shout out for Shankland
Mauberley asks: As a fellow Hearts fan, will you join me in saying well done to Lawrence Shankland for his big move.
The line is breaking up here, I can’t hear your question. Apologies.
Scotland’s nemesis: Haiti or Brazil?
richardinmadrid asks: Being a Scot, aged 69, and a football fan all my life, I really think Scotland will play awful against Haiti and play a great match against Brazil. What do you think of my premonition?
Yes, this isn’t a wild theory at all. I disagree though; I think Scotland have been wounded by failures in the last two finals. They have players a) with a point to prove over that and b) aware this will either be their best or last World Cup opportunity. So I actually believe they will seize the day against Haiti.
The Brazil fixture is dependent on whether they are comfortably through already or have incentive to damage Scotland. If there is nothing on it for Brazil, and knowing how the big nations manage their way through tournaments, I wouldn’t at all rule out Scotland taking a point.
Bracketology predictions
3chordgenius asks: According to my Bracketology predictions Scotland will need to beat Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Argentina to win the trophy, assuming they qualify as one of the best 3rd placers. How much do you recommend I invest in this outcome?
You could invest £20 to lose £20. My own predictions on the same Guardian page had Scotland losing to Mexico in the last 32. And my scenario added England plus Brazil to the possible opponents.
Will Scotland make it past Group C?
Lambchops asks: It’s a well known fact that Scotland’s group opponents never end up meeting their expectations in the World Cup? Having faced Ronaldo’s convulsive fits in France 98 what misfortunes may befall Brazil this time? Will the “curse” be lifted if Scotland make it out of the groups this time? And speaking of curses, should we actually just try and get WWE wrestler Danhausen to curse our opponents as he seems to be having some success with US sports teams?
Not a “curse” I have previously contemplated. The Netherlands did reach the final in 1978 … The historical comparisons for Scotland are fair but of course skewed. This team will generally be regarded as the greatest of all time should they emerge from group C, which a 2-0 win over Haiti and nothing else might be enough to secure. The Scotland team of 1974 didn’t reach the group phase but also didn’t lose a game. A glance at that squad and suggesting this team might be superior feels silly.
My wrestling interest ended in the days of Big Boss Man but I will take your word for it re: Danhausen.
What’s become of Max Johnston?
Fearandloathingpart2 asks: Three right backs in the squad but no Max Johnston. Is he injured again, does he have the wrong attitude for Clarke, or does Clarke genuinely just rate Ralston higher?
I thought Johnston had a very difficult time when he came on in Copenhagen at the start of the World Cup campaign. Clarke is of course fiercely loyal and emphasises the club feel within this squad but I think the reality is he does rate Ralston higher. Hickey is by far and away the outstanding right back. Patterson needs a transfer from Everton to reignite his career and, like Johnston, is far better on the attacking elements from right back then he is defending.
A flutter on Scotland reaching the semis?
misterbadexample asks: Well, I’ve put £50 on us at 28-1 to reach the semifinals, and I never gamble. Do you think the excitement at qualifying may have overexcited the nation?
That has ebbed and flowed. People were hugely excited at qualification. That mood dampened a little but noticeably in the following months. Yet the comeback to win against Curaçao and the 4-0 victory over Bolivia on Saturday has, I sense, boosted the mood again. You will lose your £50 but I think the last-32 is a legitimate, proper target.
Will Norway-Scotland friction escalate?
DeJongandtherestless asks: Ewan, do you anticipate that the issue between Norway and Scotland will develop into a full-scale war at some point?
A wonderful story, largely because it is so utterly trivial. Norway are right to be irked about the late cancellation of a training game and the Scotland explanation doesn’t exactly tally. After all, Billy Gilmour was injured a week before they postponed the bounce game. However, the existence of the fixture wasn’t known publicly at all until the Norwegians made it that way. I also fail to see how it can significantly impact their build up.
There may be lingering Norwegian animosity of course. Scotland stole a late win in Oslo, which was key to qualification for the last Euros.
What do Scotland need to progess?
stooze asks: What do you think Scotland need to progress from the group – the minimum? I’m thinking 3 points and even a -2 GD might just scrape through.
Those who look at modelling suggest that will indeed be the borderline scenario. It’s a strange World Cup for Scotland in that it is so heavily based on game one. Without a win over Haiti – and I would argue a win by a couple of goals – the whole thing could fall flat within 90 minutes. I don’t fancy Morocco in game two after, I assume, they lose to Brazil. So I think Scotland have to win with a little to spare against Haiti then cling on for dear life.
Welcome to the Conversation
Hello, and welcome to the first Guardian World Cup Q&A
Ewan Murray is one of our newly expanded team of Guardian football correspondents scattered across North America to cover all 104 games.
Ewan is now here live from Charlotte, North Carolina where Scotland didn’t play Norway on Monday, to answer any questions you might have about the World Cup as a whole and, specifically, Scotland’s chances in group C alongside Haiti and France 98 group rivals Brazil and Morocco. Post your comments and questions below the line and Ewan will answer as many as he can.
Here’s some reading/watching/listening in the meantime:
Disorder broke out in Southampton close to where the 18-year-old student was murdered.
Source link
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoWaitrose supermarkets across UK shut due to ‘critical error’
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoMan arrested in connection with rape in Oxfordshire town
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoBanbury woman jailed after lying to police about kidnapped children
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoStrictly Come Dancing new hosts reportedly Emma Willis
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoStage Watch: Somerset House enters the comedy arena with major new festival Laughterama
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoUK Hantavirus update as 22 ship passengers moved to hospital
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoMeningitis advice from Oxford student who had infection
-
UK News4 weeks agoTV tonight: children of the blitz tell stories of loss, defiance and love | Television