Nicholas Burns: ‘It’s Not Surprising that the Chinese Said They Don’t Want Iran to Have a Nuclear Weapon’

EXCERPT:

BURNS: "You know, I think the most important thing that happened is that President Trump went there, and I’m serious about that. It’s a top-down system in China. Xi Jinping makes all the big decisions, so you’ve got to have head-of-state relations that work, and I hope that they’ve been able to establish that kind of relationship. But there are a lot of troubling questions left unanswered. The first is on Taiwan. You saw that shot across the bow by Xi Jinping meant to intimidate the United States when Xi said that if we cross, if the U.S. crosses China’s red lines on Taiwan, there could be a conflict between us. That’s meant to intimidate. And what I’m looking for is whether or not now the United States, the Trump Administration, goes back to the big Taiwan arms packages that they put aside in anticipation of this visit to Beijing and move it forward. The Chinese obviously don’t want us to do that, but we have to do it because we’ve got to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses. I think that’s the first big test. And the second test will be on Iran. It’s not surprising that the Chinese said Xi Jinping said that they want the strait open without Iran as a toll keeper. It’s not surprising that the Chinese said they don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. That’s been their position for 20 years, since I was negotiating this issue for the George W. Bush Administration. But what has to happen now is that China ought to go forward, use its considerable authority with the Iranian government, its credibility, and push the Iranians towards a ceasefire agreement. I’m skeptical that will happen, that the Chinese will actually go out of their way to bail us out. So, lots of other unanswered questions, but I think those are the two big ones."