Dem Rep. Adam Smith: ‘We Are Suffering Far More’ than China Because of Iran War; Xi Jinping Will ‘Use That as Leverage Against Us’

EXCERPT:

SMITH: “Well, he doesn’t have a lot. I mean, the one thing he does have is, look, it’s better for China if there’s less chaos in the Middle East. They get a lot of oil from Iran. They get it from other countries in the Middle East as well. That certainly impacts China. So I think they would like to see this, you know, come to a conclusion. But Xi is also very much aware of the fact that we are suffering far more from that chaos in the Middle East than he is. And he’s going to use that as leverage against us to try to cut that deal. So, that’s possible. But President Trump’s decision to go into this war in Iran, and also, the ill-thought-out trade war that he launched against China last year has put him in a weaker position. This is a tough negotiation given where we stand right now, but China does have some interest in calming things down in the Middle East. It’s not a lot of leverage, but it’s at least a point to start the conversation.”