Presidents Biden and Xi. Reuters
Politico: U.S. officials project calm as China stuns world with Iran-Saudi deal
Some U.S. officials argue that American and Chinese interests may align in this case.
The détente China brokered between Iran and Saudi Arabia is spurring breathless talk in some corners of a regional paradigm shift and even the rise of a Beijing-centric world order.
The Biden administration’s reaction, however, amounts to: Nothing to see here, folks.
U.S. officials have issued brief public statements that downplay the initiative. Asked for details in interviews, they argued that, among other things: It’s a one-off case; it was in China’s economic interest to broker the deal; it doesn’t translate into long-term alliances; and anything that helps calm the region is in America’s interest.
That display of nonchalance also suggests that the administration is eager to stave off concerns that China is eroding America’s global influence at a time when the Biden administration seeks solidarity with partners and allies to counter what Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls Beijing’s threat to the “rules-based international order.”
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WNU Editor: All that I can say is that if it was the Biden administration that brokered this truce between Iran and Saudi Arabia instead of China, we would be hearing non-stop praise from the main stream media and from US officials themselves on how great this brokered truce is.