The Times (April 26)
“Few would envy the King his task when he begins his state visit to the United States on Monday.” Given the circumstances, his Mother would likely have cancelled the trip. We should “praise him for taking on a challenge that many would prefer to duck.” Hopefully, the visit will prove “an opportunity to prevent a temporary rupture in the special relationship from becoming permanent estrangement” and that “King Charles can be a bridge over troubled water for US and UK.”
Tags: Bridge, Cancelled, Challenge, Estrangement, King Charles, Opportunity, Permanent, Prevent, Rupture, Special relationship, State visit, Task, U.S., Visit
Wall Street Journal (March 18)
“Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin is the latest marker of the deep ties between Beijing and Moscow as the war in Ukraine continues into its second year.” As Xi advances “an increasingly assertive diplomacy” to “pursue… his country’s rightful place as a great power…. China’s relationship with Russia is especially important.”
Tags: Assertive, Beijing, China, Deep ties, Diplomacy, Great power, Moscow, Putin, Relationship, Russia, Ukraine, Visit, War, Xi
The Economist (January 28)
The upcoming White House visit by the UK’s Prime Minister will be “a study in awkwardness: the mother superior dropping in on the Playboy Mansion.” Theresa May is not a natural fan of the Donald. “So why is Mrs May hurrying to Washington? Because Brexit compels Britain’s leaders to show that the country has powerful allies.” She “is desperate to line up a Britain-America trade deal that can be closed as soon as Brexit takes place, probably in 2019.”
Tags: Allies, Awkwardness, Brexit, Desperate, Prime minister, Theresa May, Trade deal, UK, Visit, White House
