Xi tells Trump they shouldn't 'mess up' relationship

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0:34This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatton, and at 15 hours GMT on Thursday, the 14th of May, these are our main stories. A day of complex diplomacy in Beijing. Donald Trump is welcomed to China by Xi Jinping, though thorny issues remain. Ukraine has come under heavy attack by Russia just days after a ceasefire officially ended. We've seen rare protests in Cuba as people in Havana react to the continued U.S. blockade. Also in this podcast, the British schoolboy who was kidnapped by his mother and then disappeared for more than five years. Hi, Grandma. I want to live with my mummy and granddad.

1:20It is one million times better. Please do not get anybody to look for us.

1:30We start with Beijing and the first full day of the superpower summit, a meeting between the leaders of US and China that both sides have described as historic. It's a critical relationship. The two countries have the world's largest economies and the most powerful militaries. But as we'll hear, it's not yet clear whether efforts to improve Sino-U.S. ties have produced results. The long day of diplomacy ended with China's leader Xi Jinping hosting a banquet for President Trump in the Golden Room at the Great Hall of the People. Here's some commentary from my colleague Steve Lai as the two main guests arrived.

2:07We're just getting some movement now in the Great Hall of the People where we can see the U.S. President Donald Trump arriving with his entourage around him as well. The music ramping up on his arrival as we can see the President of the United States there, Donald Trump, making his way into the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People, accompanied by Xi Jinping as they walk in side by side. Just soak in this atmosphere.

2:42And when that music stopped, Xi Jinping gave a speech in which he commented on the importance of ties between China and the United States.

2:55Today, President Trump and I had in-depth exchanges on China-U.S. relations and international and regional dynamics. We both believe that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up. It was a theme that was continued by President Trump when he got to his feet to speak. The relationship between the American and Chinese people goes all the way back to America's founding. The first American consul to China, Samuel Shaw, arrived on the first American trading ship to reach these shores in 1784. The Chinese merchants had a name for the Americans.

3:41They called their visions the New People. Two and a half centuries later, that first connection has grown into one of the most consequential relationships in world history. All that came after a ceremonial greeting for President Trump right in the heart of Beijing in Tiananmen Square, after which the two leaders and their delegations sat down for a two-hour meeting. Our correspondent in Beijing, Stephen McDonnell, told me about some of the issues on the agenda. The Chinese side is rather forcefully saying, come on, can we get on with this now? The whole trade war thing, it didn't work. We need to cooperate with one another.

4:17and partly it's because China wants to get access to computer chips from the US and just like the US wants to get access to rare earths from here. Another thing that's interesting, we just had this announcement from the Chinese side that there's some sort of an agreement that has been reached. Now I should warn you this is going to sound very vague to the point of being meaningless but But what is being described as a constructive strategic stability relationship between China and the US has been agreed upon to provide strategic guidance for bilateral ties over the next three years. Now, I've got no idea what that really means, except that I suppose people would at least welcome their commitment to be trying to get on with one another rather than being at loggerheads.

5:06It sounds like they're really trying to coordinate some things, especially on trade. But what about the issue of Taiwan, Stephen? Mr. Xi said China could come into conflict with the U.S. over the Taiwan issue. Those seem like really strong words to come from the Chinese leader right at the start of what is supposed to be quite a friendly summit aimed at resetting relations. Yeah, well, again, from this readout, apparently Xi Jinping said that this was the most important issue between China and the US. Now, interestingly, when the two leaders were walking around the Temple of Heaven, this is the UNESCO World Heritage site that the Chinese government has taken Donald Trump to go and see, one of the reporters, like the pool reporters, who was following them around, asked Donald Trump three times what he said to Xi Jinping about Taiwan.

5:58and Donald Trump just dodged it. In response to one of those questions, did you say anything about Taiwan? He said, oh, this is a great place. It's unbelievable. China is beautiful. And he just didn't answer it at all. Now, perhaps he didn't want to embarrass Xi Jinping because he was standing nearby. But at the moment, he said nothing about it. So we don't quite know what the response of Donald Trump has been to these sort of forceful remarks from Xi Jinping on Taiwan. Hmm. Stephen, the Chinese side has made it clear many times that Taiwan is their top issue. It is their red line issue that they really care about.

6:34But if they don't seem to get any leeway from the Americans on that, even behind closed doors, what do you think is their number two issue? What do you think they could get from the Americans in return for perhaps promising to buy a lot of American goods? One thing they want is for interaction to be opened up between both sides. I mean, something I didn't expect Xi Jinping to raise, which apparently did, was the extent to which Chinese students and professors and business people have been hassled in the US, like harassed by officials, in some cases questioned, kicked out of the country and this type of thing.

7:14And there's been a lot of this in the Chinese press on social media here. And you would think that with the war in the Middle East and whatever happening, this wouldn't be the number one issue raised by the Chinese side. But obviously, it's something that really bothers the Chinese government. And it is something that would be pretty easy for Donald Trump to give them. Stephen McDonnell in Beijing. And we have more on China's complex relationship with the United States. Go to our YouTube channel, search for BBC News on YouTube, and you'll find the Global News podcast in the podcast section. Ukraine's Air Force says Russia fired more than 1 ,500 drones in the space of 36 hours The missile and drone attack was mostly focused on Kyiv where the number of dead now stands at five but at least 10 more are feared to be buried under the rubble of buildings Abdouljalil Abdurzalov is in Kyiv I'm at a site where the nine-story building was badly damaged during the attack that took place overnight I can't get too close to the debris because the area is fenced off by the police.

8:22It's not just Ukrainian first responders who are working here, but also forensic experts. They're carrying out their investigation as well, and therefore they're not allowing media to get any closer. And it appears that it was a direct hit because the entire section of the building collapsed. And right now I can see the first responders wearing helmets and their special uniform trying to clear the debris. They're pulling out all this concrete wreckage that was left following the attack. And there are two cranes working at the side. And the hope is that they can still find anyone who managed to survive the attack.

9:01They already pulled more than two dozen people who were stuck and trapped under the daybreak. The thing is, these kind of operations that first responders carry out, it often gets delayed because Russia sometimes uses the so-called tactic of double tap when they strike the same target twice within a short period of time. Because of that, the emergency workers themselves become a target. And we know that, according to Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched more than 700 drones and missiles, including ballistic missiles that are very hard to intercept. Ukraine has only one weapon to stop these missiles, and that's American-made hatred systems.

9:48The problem is that there's a massive shortage of these interceptors and systems as well. Abdur-Dzhelov in Kiev. Here in Britain, a development in the deepening crisis affecting the governing Labour Party. A senior government minister, West Streeting, has resigned. He said he'd lost confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. Calls for the PM to step down have been growing louder since Labour's dismal local elections results last week. Our political correspondent Rob Watson told me more. It looks as though Labour is perhaps about to tip into a civil war over who should lead the party.

10:27because Wes Streeting, who's currently the, or who I should say was the health secretary, has resigned and has called for a leadership debate. In other words, he's saying that Keir Starmer needs to be replaced. It's a really stinging, stinging letter of resignation. He says, where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. and he says, it is now clear you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and therefore Labour MPs want the debate about what comes next.

11:06So there we have it. He has, if you like, fired the starting gun, it would seem to me, on the battle to who succeeds Keir Starmer, if indeed Keir Starmer is to go. I note from the letter that he doesn't seem to have actually officially declared himself as a candidate, but it would seem to be a hugely significant, Celia. the firing shots, the opening shot in yet another, my goodness, yet another competition for who should be Prime Minister of Britain. Fascinating. I mean, you say this is the opening shot, but we've actually been waiting to see what West Reading might do for a couple of days now.

11:43I should also say it comes just a few hours after we heard the Chancellor, the UK's finance minister, Rachel Reeves, telling the BBC that a leadership contest for the Labour Party would plunge the country into chaos. That is why, Celia, that this is a profound political crisis, not just for the Labour Party, but for the country more broadly, a profound political crisis, because absolutely the governing Labour Party, and we should focus on them, is split over what on earth it should do. It's split over who should lead the country, who should lead the party and be Prime Minister, therefore, whether you should have a contest now.

12:21And if there is a contest, who should succeed Keir Starmer, should it be Wes Streeting or should it be somewhere else? And what he heard from the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is, if you like, the Prime Minister's argument and that of his supporters, which is, look, it would look nuts, it would look nuts to Britain and to the outside world if we were to have a leadership contest and a seventh Prime Minister in 10 years. So that is the rearguard action that the Prime Minister is fighting now. Whether it's going to work or not, whether Mr Streeting will challenge him, I mean, actually officially mount a challenge with enough supporters amongst Labour MPs to do it, we don't know.

12:57But I mean, certainly you can sort of sense that a process is underway with this resignation. Our political correspondent Rob Watson. What began as the trip of a lifetime across the South Atlantic has turned into weeks of medical isolation for dozens of passengers who've been aboard the cruise ship, the MV Hondias. That's after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board. Among those passengers now isolating, the 30-year-old American photographer and content creator Jake Rosmarin. He expects to spend more than six weeks at a quarantine center in Nebraska. Jake spoke to Sumi Somoskanda about how he was doing.

13:36I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good. I'm staying positive. I actually got more packages today. I was able to make up my bed with a mattress pad, new pillows, new sheets. So I'm really just trying to make myself comfortable here as it's going to be my home now for the next 39 days after today. Yeah. What is your quarantine in general been like? And I think that's a stationary bike behind you. So getting some some movement as well. Yes. So I haven't started using the stationary bike yet, but it is definitely my plan to do so. In general, the days are pretty relaxed. There's not too much that we have to do.

14:11A general day like today was this morning. I got my temperature check in the morning and then I had a call with a doctor, I think midday. And then I had a town hall meeting in the afternoon. And that's really it for today. And then we get to live at our meals and I get to talk with family and friends and I kind of just get to relax in the room. Can I ask a bit about what the doctors are saying at this moment? I mean, are they giving you certain signs that you should be looking out for? What have they been sharing with you? I think we all know the general initial symptoms that we should be looking out for.

14:45Like I said, we have our daily temperature checks, and I think we're also going to have the nightly one. So yesterday I had a morning and nightly temperature check. So I think that's the first major sign that we should be looking out for in terms of symptoms. I actually got a PCR test yesterday done, and mine came back today negative. So that was really exciting news for me. How worrying is this entire experience for you? Help us kind of give us a picture, if you can, of what this has been like for you. So I think it's been a bunch of different emotions that I felt. I think the scariest period was being on that ship, on the Hondias, for those extra seven days after we found out that there was a Hantavirus and there was exposure potentially to all of us.

15:25For me, that was a really scary time. And after I made my video, I got a bit of hate online. And that was hate that wasn't really backed by anything factual. so I also had so much love and support from all of my family and friends and people that I hadn't heard from in years and that love and support felt straight from the heart and that's really what got me through those seven days because I don't know what I would have done without that love and support since it was it was a really tough time for me a lot of crying in my cabin but getting off that ship was a turning point and it was a glimmer of hope and almost a new chapter and a way that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

16:08I'm in a place now where I'm under great care. I know that I have access to all of the medical needs that I may need to have if something happens. So I'm just trying to stay positive. At the end of the day, I know I'm here for the next 39 days now. So it's either I can sulk and just lay in my bed and be sad, or I can try to look at the bright side and the positive side of things and try to stay positive because that's the best that I can do for myself right now. Jake Rosmarin. Still to come in this podcast. In the moment I got here, like in Austria, they welcomed me with open arms and with a lot of love, and I feel really welcomed.

16:49After protesters disrupt one of the Eurovision Song Contest semifinals, The Israeli contestant gives his reaction to the BBC.

17:04I'm Kai Wright. I'm Carter Sherman. Welcome to Stateside with Kai and Carter. We're a new show from The Guardian. We're talking to big thinkers and the best journalists, just trying to understand the world through smart conversation and honest reporting. We don't have billionaires telling us what to say. Stateside with Kai and Carter will come out three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting May 13th. Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:35This is the Global News Podcast. Rare protests have broken out in the Cuban capital, Havana, as the island experiences its worst power blackouts in decades, triggered by a U.S. blockade. Our reporter Mimi Swaby told us more. These protests mark the single biggest night of demonstrations in Havana since the energy crisis took hold in January. They are very rare. It's not very often you see people going against the communist government and going into the street in such numbers. It's thought that about hundreds, well, hundreds across several areas of Havana, the capital, mainly the outlying neighbourhoods, took to the streets, denouncing the fuel shortages and the long extended periods of blackouts.

18:17They were blocking roads with burning big piles of rubbish and banging pots and shouting anti-government slogans. But this really marks, again, a deterioration in public sentiment. People are getting incredibly frustrated with the lack of basic goods and especially fuel shortages now. It's a tense situation. This comes as the United States is putting serious pressure on the Cuban authorities. Can you tell us more about what's been happening there? So the US has imposed an oil blockade or a fuel blockade on the island since January. And the island before that had a very poorly maintained power grid.

18:52So fuel and energy was already not in a great situation. But since then, the island has been absolutely crippled by no fuel, essentially. It has had one delivery from a Russian tank, which was allowed through the blockade in March. Now, according to the energy minister, Vicente de la Oliva, that donation has run out. So no other countries are allowed to sell oil to Cuba. They are threatened with tariffs in the US. But Cuba has now officially run out of diesel and oil, according to the energy minister. He added that gas was in a very limited supply and it was in a critical situation. The power grid was reaching a critical situation.

19:32So very tense. And he said the situation is going to get more tense as it gets hotter with the summer months and people need more energy to survive. How are people coping from day to day? People are really living basically in a shoestring. Food is incredibly scarce. People are saying they're mainly surviving off bread. Many people I've spoken to said the only thing they can get hold of is bread. I've also heard of people waking up in the middle of the night when there is a scarce moment of electricity, two or three in the morning sometimes to do basic tasks like washing clothes and cooking for the next day.

20:03People are trying to be resourceful as well. We've heard of people trying to use solar panel, which is expensive to set up as a source of alternate electricity and energy. But it's really difficult. People are struggling and that is getting increasingly harder as there is generally no fuel on the island. Mimi Swaby. In 2017, an 11-year-old British schoolboy, Alex Batty, vanished when he was on holiday in France with his mother and grandfather. It sparked an international missing person investigation, but years passed without a trace of him. That is, until 2023, when he suddenly turned up on a country road in southern France after leaving the commune where he'd been living.

20:43Now, he's been telling his story in a new BBC documentary called Kidnapped by My Mum. Rowan Bridge has this report. Hi Grandma I want to live with my mummy and grandad It is one million times better Please do not get anybody to look for us This is the voice of Alex Batty speaking in 2017 It's a video message directed to his grandmother and legal guardian Susan He'd been taken on holiday by his mum Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty Susan was sent the video and then the three of them vanished In the wake of it, police launched a missing person investigation. But there was no sign of him.

21:25He disappeared off the face of the earth. Until 2023. Relief, but more questions than answers after an olden teenager turns up in France after going missing six years ago. Now we hear what happened in those missing years as they travelled between Spain and France. Alex says his mum and grandfather disappeared into conspiracy theories. Turn off your TVs, have a look into what's really going on in the world, throw all your newspapers in the bin, get on the internet and start researching some truths because you really are living in a bubble. First few weeks, we'd always wear hats and glasses. I grew out my hair.

22:02We changed our names just to put people off a little bit. My mum was Rose and then I chose Zach. Even in private, we'd call each other that. We'd see someone and we'd think that they were looking at us for a long time and then we'd turn around and they'd stop looking. It was all just paranoia at the time. I never thought I'd be back here. Now he's revisiting what happened and reliving some painful memories. We had mum's camper van here and then we had my tent there. At 15, Alex started rowing with his mum over her beliefs. He said she kicked him out of her camper van and made him spend a winter sleeping outside.

22:42The campsite staff called French social services. I thought it was a bit of abuse, so I called social services, except they told me that because you were a foreigner and that I did not have your true identity, they could not do anything. We contacted the French authorities, who say they can't comment on individual cases as everything is confidential. I was super lonely. As the years ground on, Alex became increasingly fed up with the life he had. We used to sit at a cafe quite often. I'd hear the school bell ring. The kids would come out of school. It really made me miss it. It made me want it.

23:21Eventually, he tried to enrol in a local college and told staff who he really was. Marie works there. So he told me, I have to tell you something. Zach Edwards isn't my real name. My real name is Alex Batty. An internet search quickly revealed his backstory. The college contacted the police who visited where Alex was living, but Greater Manchester police weren't tipped off. The BBC's followed up with the French authorities were yet to get a response. When I came outside, it was... Six years after being abducted, Alex decided he'd finally had enough. He wrote a note and left. I decided to hitchhike and I got in this guy's van.

24:06After about five, ten minutes, he asked me what I was doing on the road and that's kind of where I just came out with it all. It was the start of a journey which saw him land back in the UK and into the media's glare. Tonight, the British teenager who was missing for six years has arrived back in the UK. Out of nowhere, a missing boy stepped back into the world. Despite everything, Alex was clear he didn't want his mum prosecuted. The police closed their child abduction investigation and Melanie Batty has never been charged in relation to Alex's disappearance. She declined to comment to the BBC.

24:41We've not heard from David Batty. Hey mum, I know how much you care about me. Alex has decided now to get back in touch with his mum, though their relationship is complicated. So I messaged my mum yesterday just to start something, but hopefully one day I'll be able to get to the point where maybe I can go and see them and have an enjoyable time rather than have my mum push things down my throat like she used to do. Since returning home, Alex has passed GCSEs and is looking for work. And his stories come full circle. In January, the boy who was abducted by his mum became a parent himself. Rowan Bridge reporting.