Xi’s four point proposal on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East; Xi meets Spanish PM; People's Leader Xi

Today’s top items: 1. Xi’s four point proposal on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East - Xi met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates. According to the readout he offered the following four point proposal: Xi Jinping set out four propositions for safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. First, uphold the principle of peaceful coexistence. The countries of the Middle East and the Gulf are as closely linked as lips and teeth — they are neighbors who cannot be moved. Support should be given to Middle Eastern and Gulf states in improving their relations, with efforts made to advance the building of a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security architecture for the region, laying a solid foundation for peaceful coexistence. Second, uphold the principle of national sovereignty. Sovereignty is the bedrock on which all countries — especially developing countries — stand, and it must not be violated. The sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Middle Eastern and Gulf states must be genuinely respected, and the safety of their personnel, facilities, and institutions must be genuinely protected. Third, uphold the principle of international rule of law. The authority of international law must be upheld — it cannot be invoked when convenient and discarded when not. The world must not be allowed to revert to the law of the jungle. The international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the fundamental norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be firmly defended. Fourth, uphold the principle of balancing development and security. Security is the precondition for development, and development is the guarantee of security. All parties should work to create a favorable environment for the development of Middle Eastern and Gulf states and inject positive energy into the region. China is willing to share the opportunities of Chinese modernization with Middle Eastern and Gulf countries, and to cultivate deeper soil for regional development and security. 习近平就维护和促进中东和平稳定提出4点主张：一是坚持和平共处原则。中东海湾国家唇齿相依，是搬不走的邻居。要支持中东海湾国家改善关系，推动构建共同、综合、合作、可持续的中东和海湾地区安全架构，筑牢和平共处的根基。二是坚持国家主权原则。主权是各国特别是广大发展中国家安身立命的依托，不容侵犯。中东海湾国家主权、安全和领土完整应当得到切实尊重，各国人员、设施、机构安全应当得到切实维护。三是坚持国际法治原则。维护国际法治权威，不能”合则用、不合则弃”，不能让世界倒回丛林法则。要坚定维护以联合国为核心的国际体系、以国际法为基础的国际秩序、以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则。四是坚持统筹发展和安全。安全是发展的前提，发展是安全的保障。各方都应该为中东海湾国家发展营造良好环境、注入正能量。中方愿同中东海湾国家分享中国式现代化机遇，厚植地区发展和安全土壤。 Perhaps there is more substance and diplomatic effort behind it? 2. Spanish PM meets Xi - Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez met Xi Tuesday. He also met separately with Premier Li and Zhao Leji. Sanchez may now be China’s best friend in the EU. According to the readout of their meeting, Xi said: despite a turbulent and complex international situation, China-Spain relations have developed steadily, producing a relationship characterized by strategic resolve. An important lesson has been making correct decisions grounded in shared interests. Practice has shown that deepening cooperation serves the interests of both peoples, aligns with the broader trends of the era, and has strengthened each side’s capacity and confidence to pursue an independent path. The two sides should always place the development of China-Spain relations as a priority in their respective foreign policies and support each other in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity… today’s world is rife with disorder, marked by a contest between justice and power [当今世界乱象丛生，面临公理和强权的较量]. How a country treats international law and the international order reflects its worldview, its conception of order, its values, and its sense of responsibility. China and Spain are both principled and morally grounded nations. They should strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, and cooperate closely to oppose a world reverting to the law of the jungle, jointly uphold genuine multilateralism, safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and an international order based on international law, and advance equal and orderly multipolarity in the world, inclusive and universally beneficial economic globalization, and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Sanchez comments, according to the readout, hit all the right notes for the PRC side: Spain firmly adheres to the One China principle, attaches great importance to China’s status as a major power, and is firmly committed to building a strategic and stable Spain-China partnership. Spain hopes to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, new energy, and other fields and promote people-to-people exchanges. Facing a complex and grave international situation and frequent conflicts and disputes, only by upholding multilateralism and advancing a multipolar world can lasting peace be brought to humanity. Spain actively supports the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China to jointly address challenges in international geopolitics, trade protectionism, and climate change, and to uphold international law and multilateralism. Spain opposes a “new Cold War” and “decoupling and supply chain disruption,” and supports deeper communication, understanding, and cooperation between Europe and China. Healthy development of EU-China relations serves the shared interests of both sides and is also conducive to world peace and stability. 3. Vietnam’s leader in China - Vietnam’s General Secretary and President To Lam is in Beijing. He met with Wang Huning Tuesday and gave a speech at Tsinghua. He will meet with Xi Wednesday. 4. US-China - The Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday promised “resolute countermeasures” if the Trump Administration added new tariffs on China for “military product exports”. It is not clear if the recent US media reports about the PRC considering sending or having already sent weapons systems to Iran are correct, but if they are then Trump has put himself in a bind. Either he follows through with the tariff threat and likely blows up the Busan understanding and the upcoming summit, or he looks like a paper tiger. Meanwhile, Reuters reports Treasury Secretary “Bessent said on Tuesday that China had been an unreliable global partner during the Middle East war by hoarding oil supplies and limiting exports of certain goods, much as they hoarded medical supplies during the pandemic”, and sanctions may be coming for banks, including PRC ones: 5. EU Chamber of Commerce report on export controls - The EU Chamber of Commerce in China is out with a new report titled Exporting Control: China’s New Strategic Toolkit. It is a sobering read on the ways the PRC has built out a sophisticated and increasingly effective export control regime, and it was written before yesterday’s announcement of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Countering Foreign Improper Extraterritorial Jurisdiction中华人民共和国反外国不当域外管辖条例. One of the key goals of “dual circulation” it is worth remembering is to more tightly bind foreign companies to PRC supply chains, and the rules announced yesterday make it even harder for foreign firms to move their supply chains out of China. No one should be surprised…