stephen, many thanks, stephen mcdonell l peace plan on the table. n beijing. rail workers have voted to accept a new offerfrom network rail on pay, jobs and conditions. it brings an end to the dispute which led to a series of strikes in recent months. the deal will see pay rises for signal workers and maintenance staff, but the agreement does not cover the rmt�*s dispute with the train operating companies, as our transport correspondent katy austin explains. after nine months of picket lines and empty platforms, a breakthrough. the deal accepted by signal workers and maintenance staff in the rmt union includes a headline payrise of 5% for last year and 4% for this year. the rmt says some of the lowest paid workers will actually see their salaries rise by much more than that. and this year's pay rise will be backdated, meaning a bigger lump sum upfront. there are other benefits too, like discounted travel. the rmt leader, though, was not celebrating today. it is way below inflation and it's not as far as we would have wanted it to go. it's not as far

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.suggests they will be invited to the king's coronation in may. it follows speculation about whether the couple, who are based in the us, would receive an invitation. their spokesperson said they would not yet disclose their decision. here's our royal correspondent, daniela relph. god save the king! at church today on the sandringham estate in norfolk. with just under two months to go, plans for the king's coronation are moving forward. invitations are posted out next month, but guests have now had save the date e—mails, and they include the duke and duchess of sussex. in a statement, a spokesperson for harry and meghan said: . since they were last in the uk, harry's memoir spare has been published. it is a very public airing of fractured family relationships. and last night, there was more. well, i certainly don't see myself as a victim. yeah. an online conversation between harry and author gabor mate, where family breakdown came up again. i'm starting to, you know, go back to the poin

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. he's committed to ensuring that people arriving here on small boats to claimed asylum will be sent back. mr sunak says he wants to end the "immoral trade" of criminal gangs. in the coming week, the uk's government is expected to announce legislation that will push for people arriving in small boats to be removed to other countries, including rwanda. but charities say the proposals are "vindictive" and "extremely concerning". the northern ireland secretary, chris heaton—harris, told the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg that this was just one measure being considered to halt refugee arrivals in small boats crossing the english channel. it is part of a whole range of things, a whole gambit of things, to try and both keep people in home country or as close to home country as we possibly can, to try to make sure they are looked after in the first free country they might come to, try and stop illegal people trafficking, which is a huge part in this and crack down on that, legislation at home to retu

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. centre, here's 0lly. i'm here, many thanks. we arejust a few hours away from one of the biggest pictures in the premier league calendar, liverpool against manchester united at anfield, it finished 2—1 united at old trafford earlier in the season, and they are looking to complete the double over liverpool for the first time in seven years. united are third in the table, set to qualify for the champions league. liverpool would move up to fifth with a win. the? move up to fifth with a win. they -la ed a move up to fifth with a win. they played a better— move up to fifth with a win. they played a better season _ move up to fifth with a win. tie: played a better season than us move up to fifth with a win. ti3:1 played a better season than us so far, but thank god, it means nothing for the game on sunday. we have our own targets, yes, it would be a boost, 100%. we have to make sure we really show it's still incredibly difficult to play against us, because when we played there, it looked inc

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.hi sunak, says he's committed to ensuring that people arriving here on small boats to claim asylum will be sent back. mr sunak says he wants to end the "immoral trade" of criminal gangs. in the coming week, the uk government is expected to announce legislation that will push for people arriving in small boats to be removed to other countries, including rwanda. but charities say the proposals are "vindictive" and "extremely concerning". earlier, i spoke to christina marriott, executive director of strategy at the british red cross, and asked whether government's proposed plans to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the uk via small boats will achieve its goal. so i think this puts at the heart of our asylum system, the heart of the uk asylum system a real catch—22. it's a completely impossible situation. at the moment, unless you're from ukraine or hong kong, or you're one of the very lucky 1,400 people who got on a resettlement scheme last year, the only way to claim asylum in th

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.ntre, here's 0lly. celtic have restored their nine point lead at the top of the scottish premiership beating 10—man st mirren 5—1 they actually trailed 1—0 at the break — but made their extra man count in the second half. while you are liel abada put them 3—1 up, matt 0'riley then added a fourth a before a late penalty made it a very comfortable afternoon in paisley. everton are looking to move out of the bottom three with a win at nottingham forest — they are into the second half at the city ground and lead 2—1. it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure _ it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure we _ it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure we really _ it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure we really show- it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure we really show that i it would be a boost. 10096. we have to make sure we really show that it| to make sure we really show that it is still incredibly difficult to play against us, because when we play

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.the world's oceans has been approved, after ten years of talks. the high seas treaty aims to safeguard marine life in 30% of areas that don't belong to any single country, most of which are currently unprotected. the deal, which was finalised at the united nations in new york, is being hailed as a �*significant step' by environmental campaigners, as our climate reporter esme stallard reports. the high seas are home to most of the world's marine life — some two million species which provide food, jobs and medicines needed for human survival. after two straight days of negotiations, countries have agreed for the first time to work together to protect these ocean regions. the ship has reached the shore. cheering and applause the world's international waters — or high seas — aren't controlled by any nation. until now, all countries had a right to fish, ship and research in these areas, but it's left the animals and plants living there vulnerable. 10% of monitored species are at risk of ext

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.inister has asked for forgiveness from the families of victims of the country's worst ever train crash. he adressed the nation in a facebook post, following days of protests. the collision between passenger and freight trains last week, in which at least 57 people died, has caused nationwide outrage as protestors demand accountability for the collision. the hellenic train company has told bbc world news it will support the victims, in cooperation with the ministry of transport and all relevant authorities. it says it lost nine employees in the tragedy. earlier i spoke to the greek journalist savvas karmaniolas in athens — and he told me the locals expect the change in the government policy. so right after the crash, the prime minister addressed the greek people and refer to a fatal human error. the greek society since then started protesting in anger was building every day. today, he finally apologised to the people and there was a protest outside of the parliament which ended in tear

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.asked ian chong, associate professor from the department of political science at the university of singapore, for his thoughts on the announcement of an increase in spending on the military so this is a trend that the prc has going on, it has been increasing as budget and has been talking about threats and dangers and uncertainties for a while now. some of this, think, is a veiled reference to what the perceives as a us containment that's their language. but whether there is containment, there is some debate over that. what right now is happening is that the us and the prc looking at each other with suspicion and the budget reflects that. $5 other with suspicion and the budget reflects that.- budget reflects that. as you oint budget reflects that. as you point out. — budget reflects that. as you point out, the _ budget reflects that. as you point out, the tensions - budget reflects that. as you - point out, the tensions between the us and china have been deteriorating recently. in this

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.s to prevent anyone arriving in the uk on a small boat from claiming asylum are due to be announced later this week. it's expected that the british home secretary will have a duty to "detain and swiftly remove" anyone who comes through that route. the red cross has called the proposals "extremely concerning". our political correspondent helen catt has the story. just one of the many small boats bringing new arrivals into the uk. last year, more than 115,000 migrants crossed the channel. the prime minister says stopping the boats is one of his top priorities. part of his plan, new laws to prevent people who arrived this way from claiming asylum. the detail is under wraps but it is also expected to ban from returning to the uk. i don't think there will be tens of thousands of people coming if we get this right, certainly illegally, we are accepting huge numbers of people legally to come to the uk, but i believe this plan, this complete plan will do the job. people who arrive in small boa

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.t's come out so far from the national people's congress is ian chong, associate professor from the department of political science at the university of singapore. great to have you on the programme ijust want great to have you on the programme i just want to focus on military spending with you in terms of some of the key themes that have come out of themes that have come out of the congress because, as i understand that china has said it will increase military spending by more than 7% this year, at the same time a warning of escalating threats, its words. what is this a reference to and how unusual is this? , , ., reference to and how unusual is this? , , . ., ., , this? this is a trend that has been going _ this? this is a trend that has been going on. _ this? this is a trend that has been going on, talking - this? this is a trend that hasj been going on, talking about increasing it has been increasing it has been increasing its budget and talk about threats and dangers and uncertaint

stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. regulated railfares in england and wales go up by 5.9% today. god. it already costs me almost an hour of my hourly wage just _ to buy my return ticket. a monthly ticket is somewhere around £600. they're not always on time and most of the time they're cancelled, delayed. for me, it's the cumulative effect. it's notjust the pricej of a ticket — it's price of ticket, price of rent, i price of...everything else. i'm a student, so i'm obviously trying to save money and stuff, so it does suck. trying to be green, trying not- to use your car so much is actually costing more and more. if the increment is going to make it reliable, then it's ok. the 5.9% cap covers nearly half of fares in england and wales — including most season tickets. a decision hasn't yet been made in scotland. the government says it's made sure the rise is well below the rate of inflation it would normally be based on. but this year's is the biggest increase in 11 years, and it comes as people are facing a host of cost—of—living pressures. passengers have also endured a period of w

they see the english at bay voted from the faith, the once told him that she bishop stephen mcdonell accuses his british counterpart probably just in willoughby of departing from tradition by allowing the clergy to bless sim 6 relationships. lord, brother dot is wrong, dot is wrong. that is wrong or the church a real good girl. we cannot accept to that gallow and live in either a new can i to be ships from countries including salts, sedan and congo, signed a letter saying they no longer recognise welby as head of the anglican communion. i wanted rel, horror charge intruder badly over where they are free for blizzard. we're, after all autonomous anglican. ah bravo uses, we think, said by the idea. but they are free for blake. bobby, i'm not rock. bill hall. i'm going to kind of got union wisdom. gay rights activist friends mokesha sees the i to bishop's public rejection of blessings, sim, sex marriages, have made them a really difficult situation. was quizzed, violence ah, black mand expulsion, mailing forces, and also show exclusion. who since some members are the eligibility coming

is the first npc of the chinese communist party's new five—year term. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonellssociate professor alfred wu, from the lee kuan yew school of public policy at national university of singapore. thank you forjoining us on the programme this morning. president she has been consolidating his power and how do you think he might use this npc to continue doing so number one these loyal supporters will be supported as the premium and vice premium. this be supported as the premium and vice premium-— vice premium. this will also help them _ vice premium. this will also help them consolidate - vice premium. this will also | help them consolidate power vice premium. this will also - help them consolidate power and set up communities for regular ministry. these loyal supporters will be appointed as committee chairs who can promote his policies. can you outline some _ promote his policies. can you outline some of _ promote his policies. can you outline some of the - promote his policies. can you | outline some of the challenges he faces starting at home in china with the slowin

they see the english at bay variety from the face they once told at bishop stephen mcdonell accuses his british counterpart probably just in willoughby of departing from tradition by allowing declared gently to bless sim 6 relationships. lord, brother dot is wrong, dot is wrong. that is wrong. or the church of uganda. we cannot accept to god morgan, lew and 11 either anglican to be ships from countries including south sudan and congo, signed a letter saying they no longer recognise robi as head of the anglican communion. i wanted rel, horror charge, intruder body over where they are free to do that. we're after all autonomous anglican law brother uses we think said body idea. but they are free for blake. bobby, i'm not from rock. bill hall. i'm going to kind of got union wisdom gay rights activist friends mokesha sees the i to bishops public rejection of blessings. since it's marriages has made them a really difficult situation. was closed violence, ah, black mand expulsion may law enforcement, and also show exclusion. who since some members of the eligibility coming to being denied ser

here's our china correspondent stephen mcdonell on what beijing might want from this trip.ion that this visit by xi jinping might lead to some sort of a breakthrough in terms of promoting peace in the war between russia and ukraine. now, the reasons for that are that beijing does have some sway with moscow, and some would say considerable sway. beijing says it's a neutral player in the war and therefore it could become an honest broker, and also, the chinese government has just come off the back of brokering this deal which saw saudi arabia and iran resume diplomatic relations, so people are thinking, you know, if you can get those two together, could beijing also do the same thing in terms of the war between russia and ukraine? now, the problem is that some analysts would say, is it really in china's interests to stop the war if we consider the most cynical potential possibility? in a way, russia is doing china's dirty work. it is challenging the west, it is making the west eat up all of these military resources it has and actually furthering beijing's geopolitical goals.

let's speak to our correspondent stephen mcdonell in beijing.at they have a lot of convincing to do to foreign and national investors. in other countries it might seem ambitious, but not really in china. it doesn't sound like a lot in china. so when this congress opened in beijing, here on this rather belated day, the economy was front and centre. and this meeting is like glee designed to be laying out a bit of a blueprint, a way forward for the country to come out of the coronavirus period, to try and give people hope, that faith that it is in good hands. but the other thing this congress is doing is putting president xijinping's people into these key roles, more of his people into the key roles and thus solidifying his control of the party. the question being asked is that with so many president xi jinping loyalists in these positions, ministries, head of the peoples bank, propaganda chief, you name it, will the government kind of be echoing —— operating here in an echo chamber. there won't be the fearless advice needed in making these decisio

our china correspondent stephen mcdonell has more the congress, which begins this weekend, will be the. it all started a decade ago, and at this meeting, he'll be appointing these new ministers, these new heads of departments who are completely loyal to him. and it means that the last vestiges of these other factions within the party will no longer be there. everyone will be on team xi. now, on the one hand, that could be a good thing. it could mean that everyone's lined up together, they're on the same page, and it means you can get things done. but the danger, of course, is that these will be people who are afraid of giving xi jinping the fearless and frank advice that he needs to hear. and it could mean that the entire leadership structure is operating within a kind of echo chamber and that this crushes innovation, which really hurts the economy. now, this year, of course, the chinese economy is going to initially take off very quickly, but it is coming off a low base. and the danger is that it reaches a certain point, it starts to plateau, and that that could last for years to come

stephen mcdonell. let's get more and how that deal will affect the region.na mitter, professor of the history and politics of modern china at oxford university. in some ways, while it is robust and quite confrontational language, it is fairly low—key in terms of reaction. i think the chinese will be aware that the submarines at the heart of the aukus agreement will not come on stream until probably the early 20405 so it is not an immediate threat from their point of view so they are condemning the direction of travel rather than any immediate effect from the policy that forward. one analysis has called this a time bomb for peace and stability in the region, will it have a huge knock—on effect? i think crises in the region are more likely to erupt sooner than that anyway, in the next five to six years one of the big questions is will be will china seek to unify the island of taiwan, which is autonomous and self—governing, but china lays claim to it and has done since 1949 and the communist revolution. the aukus submarine pact will not affect that, that will b

joining me now is our china correspondent stephen mcdonell. what is china proposing?he last big _ what is china proposing? this is the last big plug _ what is china proposing? try 3 is the last big plug in china reopening after the coronavirus emergency. it has announced that tourists will be allowed back into the country. in recent times other visas have been issued but no tourists in here for more than three years. to give you an idea of what a big deal this is, in the year before the pandemic started, 65 million international travellers came to beijing. it's a lot of people. in the interim, those sectors of the tourism industry geared up for foreign tourists, businesses have closed, people have lost theirjobs and they will welcome the return of foreign tourists to this country. you can tell the difference in the city like beijing where i am now, used to see foreign tourists around the streets all the time, especially around forbidden city and places like that, but it has been strange not having any tourists here. even notice it with little kids being more intereste

as our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell reports from beijing, the gathering is also being used byg to further consolidate his power. however, we arejoined by professor rana mitter, professor of chinese politics and history at oxford university. thank and history at oxford university. you forjoining us news. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. what was your assessment of what was set at the congress meeting today? i what was set at the congress meeting toda ? ~' ., what was set at the congress meeting toda ? ~ ., _, ., . , today? i think on the economic side, it was fairly — today? i think on the economic side, it was fairly predictable _ today? i think on the economic side, it was fairly predictable that - today? i think on the economic side, it was fairly predictable that they - it was fairly predictable that they would have a fairly low growth figure, 5% is been put forward and we have to remember that that was from a relatively low base, during the pandemic of the chinese economy suffered very badly, areas such as retail, travel and so forth we are really very badly hit,

are ready at this moment to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell of these leaders have had newspaper articles published in one another�*s countries. xijinping�*s article and vladimir putin�*s article both mention the ukraine war, so itjust shows that it is going to be front and centre when they have talks over the coming two days. in vladimir putin�*s article, in the people�*s daily, and this is the mouthpiece of the communist party here, basically it�*s the party�*s organ, getting the word out, the line out, to the population, vladimir putin writes that the west is fading, that its influence is disappearing. he said that russia is open to a diplomatic solution, if, and he says, "if other parties are willing to engage in a serious dialogue." he also, though, spoke about how such an agreement "would have to take into account the current geopolitical realities." i�*m not exactly sure what that means but it sounds like he�*s trying to suggest that the facts on the ground, if i can put it that way, the land which russia has already grabbed, it�*s not g

was part of a sprawling chinese intelligence collection programme. 0ur china correspondent, stephen mcdonellhas been a very high profile, two pronged attack on the us from the chinese government, not only involving the foreign minister but also the supreme leader, xijinping, no less. he made a speech in which he said that the west, as led by the us, was encircling and containing china and that this represented a serious threat for this country. now we don't know a lot more about what he said because that was a speech behind closed doors to these business delegates at a political advisory body. but foreign minister qin gang held a press conference on the sidelines of the national people's congress. he said that unless washington hits the brakes soon instead of ramping up tensions, that there was a real risk of conflict between the us and china. he went through these various points of tensions, for example, the balloon incident. now he said that was basically an accident, but the us hyped it up, leading to a diplomatic crisis. he said that the biden administration, when it speaks about competi

our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell explained more about the significance of the visit.this trip is that all eyes are going to be on moscow. there is some expectation that the trip by xi jinping to speak to vladimir putin might achieve some sort of breakthrough in terms of peace in the ukraine war. whether it is fair or reasonable or not, there is going to be the expectation. the reason for that is firstly that beijing does have sway with the kremlin, secondly, it's a fresh off, this coup, where the chinese government was able to negotiate to get saudi arabia and iran to re—establish diplomatic relations. so people are going to be thinking, well, china is on a roll, can they do this with ukraine and russia? i think, though, many harder heads would say that it is probably not going to happen, it seems very unlikely, and, in fact, many would question whether or not they generally want to do that anyway. but, that said, there is going to be a lot of attention on this visit and what comes from it. the key question is how much influence beijing has over moscow. we know there

joining me now is our china correspondent stephen mcdonell., what is your analysis? i’ge foreign ministry spokesperson, what is your analysis?— is your analysis? i've 'ust come from that h is your analysis? i've 'ust come from that press _ is your analysis? i've just come from that press conference - is your analysis? i've just come from that press conference and is your analysis? i've just come - from that press conference and they were tough words from china's foreign military spokesperson. he said it was not only china opposed to this packed colour that it was other countries, these three governments had ignored the concerns of the international community, they were going to harm international stability, fuel an international arms race, he accused these three countries by supplying weapons grade material to australia, a non—nuclear states, being in breach of international anti—proliferation agreements. what's more, he said the three governments were leaning on the secretariat of the international atomic energy agency to try to get some sort

our china correspondent stephen mcdonell was at that press conference.'s foreign ministry spokesperson, wang wenbin. he said that it wasn't only china that was opposed to this pact, that it was other countries, that these three governments had ignored the concerns of the international community, that they were going to harm international stability, fuel an international arms race. also, he accused these three countries of, by supplying weapons grade material to australia, a non—nuclear state, being in breach of international anti—proliferation agreements. what's more, he said that the three governments were leaning on the secretariat of the international atomic energy agency to try and get some sort of bogus clearance for this pact to proceed. that's how the chinese government would see it. and finally, he finished by calling on the three governments not to go ahead with it. he said this should stop right now, that these three governments should honour their international obligations and promote regional stability by stopping this altogether. banking sha

are ready at this moment to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonellhave seen plenty coverage previewing president xi's visit to moscow and will have even noticed an article by vladimir putin just as readers in moscow have seen an article by present xi. putin's article speaks about the west how it is going backwards and losing its influence, contrasted to china and vladimir putin said his government welcomed china's efforts to broker a peace in ukraine however it did say the talks needed to be genuine and also needed to reflect the current geopolitical reality, that expression could be talking about what the military observers say is facts on the ground, for example land which russia has already claimed from ukraine sounds could be suggesting we want to keep that as part of a peace deal. the government in kyiv will not go along with that, they have said russia needs to fall back of all those areas before talks can start, however the fact both xi and putin have mentioned the ukraine war but also this process of peace talks means it is in all likelihood

jinping's most trusted allies, as the new premier over the weekend. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonellber two person in the government's structure here. now there is talk of there being an election, elections that result in these appointments are not really elections. we have party caterers who turn up to the congress and do what is required of them to make those appointments happen so in the case of the president, not a single dissenting vote. now, that said, xi jinping finished up the congress with a speech where he spoke of the need for military modernisation and the need to build a stronger security apparatus at home, he spoke of there being a great wall of steel and that this would guarantee stability in the country and that is what is needed. after the congress finished, it is then the role of the premier to hold this annual press event and at that event, li qiang had the message that china is open for business, that it is a friendly place for entrepreneurs to exist. he said that it does not matter what the company structure is, who owns the company structure is, who owns the com

earlier i spoke to our china correspondent stephen mcdonell.ng him i think the problem for the chinese public, like much of the world, is they've been fed this line that china's peace plan for ukraine might work, and so now the pressure is on. it is an almost certainly unrealistic expectation that xi jinping would go to moscow and somehow bring about a peace plan that is going to be under way from these talks there today. so what happens when he leaves moscow with no movement on the piece from and it is even worse because we have the surprise visit by japan's leader to ukraine today, invariably comparison is going to be so you can afford our owner so you can made about the two leaders, which which countries they decided handles pregnant to visit, what their priorities are, and there is talk of a call between xi jinping and volodymyr zelensky, suppose that even in the coming days, but until that happens this claim by basing that it is neutral, it is becoming increasingly hard for it to stand up, and some are suggesting that the peace plan is rea

joining me now is our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell. what more do we know about this trip?, in a way, for this trip i trip? the problem for bei'ing, in a way, for this trip is i trip? the problem for bei'ing, in a way, for this trip is that i trip? the problem for beijing, in a way, for this trip is that all - trip? the problem for beijing, in a way, for this trip is that all eyes . way, for this trip is that all eyes are going to be on moscow. there is some expectation that the trip by xi jinping to speak to vladimir putin might achieve some sort of breakthrough in terms of peace in the ukraine war. whether it is fair or reasonable or not, there is going to be the expectation. the reason for that is firstly that beijing does have sway with the kremlin, secondly, it�*s a fresh off, this coup, when the chinese government is able to negotiate to get saudi arabia and iran to re—establish diplomatic relations. so people are going to be thinking, well, china is on a roll, can they do this with ukraine and russia? i think, on a roll, can they do this with ukraine and russia? ithi

china correspondent stephen mcdonell has been following all of the development of the national people'sere, max one. there is talk of leading election. election is that results in these appointments, they are not really elections —— li qiang. we have party members who turn up to the converse and do what is required of them to make those appointments happen so in the case of the president not a single dissenting vote. that said, xijinping finish up vote. that said, xijinping finish up the speech where he spoke of the need for military modernisation and the need to build a stronger security apparatus at home. he spoke of there being a great wall of steel and that this will guarantee stability in this country, but is that what was needed. after the converse is finished it is then the role of the premier to hold this annual festive engine at this event li qiang had the message that china is open for business —— this annual press event. he said it is a friendly place for entrepreneurs to exist. he says it doesn't matter what your company structure is, type of company, who owns the company, y

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. 0ur china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, joins us now from beijingy we saw president putin in ukraine. now another big meeting, this time with the chinese premier. talk about the significance of the meeting. weill. significance of the meeting. well, havin: significance of the meeting. well, having resident _ significance of the meeting. well, having resident at _ significance of the meeting. well, having resident at xi _ significance of the meeting. well, having resident at xi jinping - significance of the meeting. 11 having resident at xi jinping in moscow is a big deal, of course, because this is one of the two most powerful people in the world. meeting with vladimir putin and mid—war in ukraine. and what has led to this could further peace in terms of that war is because china is fresh off the back of brokering this deal between saudi arabia and iran, getting them to re—establish diplomatic relations. and so of course the question has been asked, could they do the same thing with ukraine and russia? the problem is that a war is naturally a much mo