Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing is considering hosting a third Belt & Road forum next year, the first time a major BRI event would be convened in China since the beginning of the pandemic. The key question is whether China will relax its strict COVID travel restrictions or organize the event as a “closed loop” as it did with the Winter Olympics earlier this year. (REUTERS)
The Pentagon’s top policy official warned Middle Eastern countries that if they cooperate too closely with China on security issues, it could damage ties with the U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl’s comments on Friday at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain point to mounting unease in Washington over China’s surging influence in the region, particularly among Persian Gulf countries. (AXIOS)
