Denis Staunton's guide to understanding world events - what’s happening, why it matters and how it affects youChina condemns the United States’s war on Iran as illegal and wants it to stop immediately. But Beijing will not let the war get in the way of Donald Trump’s visit later this month. “Seeing the Middle East engulfed in flames, I want to say that this is a war that should not have happened. More important than any of China’s ties in the Middle East is the opportunity for a reset of its economic and military relationship with the US under Trump. Creating parallel structures outside the UN, or worse still, putting together various exclusive blocs and circles is unpopular and unsustainable.”

Source: The Irish Times March 09, 2026 15:44 UTC