In the month of May, the Kurdistan Region is covered in lush greenery. Thousands of miles away, Beijing is equally vibrant as a notable wave of diplomatic activity unfolds. Within a single week, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China consecutively, drawing global attention.
Steering the course
Trump held a two-day visit to China between May 13 and 15, holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting that marked a significant moment of engagement across the Pacific. The two leaders reached a shared understanding on advancing “a constructive China-US relationship” centered on multidimensional “strategic stability.”
This stability should be positive, where cooperation remains the foundation. Given the deep interdependence between China and the United States, confrontation would be detrimental to both countries and the wider world, while cooperation can yield broad mutual benefits.
Moreover, it should be healthy, where competition remains within appropriate bounds. Competition should not become zero-sum, but rather fair and constructive - encouraging mutual learning and pursuit of excellence, adherence to rules, and shared progress.
Stability should also be consistent, where differences remain manageable and policy continuity and predictability on both sides enhance the outlook for China-US cooperation, providing greater certainty for both countries’ development and for the international situation.
It should further be enduring, where peace is sustainable. Both sides are encouraged to adhere to the three China-US joint communiques, respect each other’s systems and development paths, accommodate core interests, and safeguard each side’s right to development.
Second, it reinforced consensus on deepening cooperation. The two sides agreed to pursue more exchanges on foreign policy, military-to-military relations, economy and trade, public health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people ties, and law enforcement.
Bolstering consensus on cooperation
The American and Chinese presidents also agreed to establish a board on trade and a board on investment, address each other’s concerns regarding market access for agricultural products, and expand two-way trade within a framework of reciprocal tariff reduction.
Of note, a number of prominent US business leaders accompanied Trump on the visit and participated in official engagements. President Xi encouraged them to deepen cooperation with China and emphasized that his country would continue to expand opening-up. The business representatives expressed strong interest in the Chinese market and a desire to enhance collaboration with Chinese partners.
On the Taiwan question, President Xi emphasized that it remains the most important issue in China-US relations. He stated that “Taiwan independence” and cross-Strait peace are fundamentally incompatible. Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait was described as a shared interest, and the US side acknowledged China’s position and concerns, noting that it does not agree with or accept Taiwan’s push toward independence.
Shifting to Middle Eastern affairs, the Chinese president underlined that force cannot resolve disputes and that dialogue is the only viable path forward. China encouraged continued negotiations between the US and Iran, called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, and supported efforts toward achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire.
China-Russia summit
Just after Trump’s visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to China between May 19 and 20, marking his 25th visit and coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership and the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.
President Xi outlined the future direction of China-Russia relations in terms of “four dimensions of higher quality.” These dimensions include building higher-quality political mutual trust and providing each other with firm strategic support. The China-Russia relationship currently stands at the highest level in history as a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, setting a prime example of a new type of major-country relationship.
The second dimension is empowering higher-quality, mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly advancing development and revitalization for both sides. The two countries are set to deepen the alignment of development strategies and work to upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation across the board.
As for the third dimension, it is promoting higher-quality people-to-people connectivity and strengthening the foundation of lasting friendship between the two nations. The two presidents have decided to hold the tenth national theme year, the China-Russia Years of Education, for this year and next. Both sides will use this as an opportunity to further strengthen people-to-people ties and enhance cultural and educational exchanges.
The fourth and final dimension is pursuing higher-quality international coordination to reform and improve global governance.
China and Russia will steadfastly safeguard the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice, oppose all unilateral acts of bullying and attempts to reverse the course of history, and, in particular, oppose provocative acts that deny the outcomes of the victory of World War II and attempt to justify and revive fascism and militarism, while working together to shape a more just and equitable global governance system.
Strategic shift eastward
The two consecutive summits marked a high point in diplomatic engagement. Since the beginning of the year, more than 20 foreign leaders have visited China and under sustained high-level diplomacy, an increasing number of countries have sought closer engagement with Beijing.
In a turbulent global environment, China continues to position itself as a source of stability and predictability. In this context, looking eastward has emerged as a growing tendency among parts of the international community.
For the Kurdistan Region, this orientation represents a search for security and development opportunities. China has expressed its willingness to contribute to regional stability and economic development through cooperation in infrastructure, trade, investment, artificial intelligence, new energy, and cultural exchange.
President Xi also urged both the US and Russian presidents to engage in peace talks regarding the Middle East situation, demonstrating China’s role as a major power and contributing to efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Kurdistan Region.
Whether it is the steady, sustained, and long-term growth of China-US relations or the renewed friendship between China and Russia, both will provide new momentum for global economic development and create new opportunities for the development of the Kurdistan Region and cooperation between Beijing and Erbil.
As the ancient Chinese proverb says, “True virtue never lacks company.”
Looking ahead, China will continue to expand high-standard opening up to the world, and the Kurdistan Region will be welcomed to look eastward as well, to share development opportunities and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and to steadily deepen friendly cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, trade, investment, artificial intelligence, new energy, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, ushering in a bright future of shared prosperity and mutual success.