Italy's in Belt and Road program gives China crucial inroad into Western Europe and symbolic boost in its tug-of-war with Washington, where President Donald Trump is challenging China over trade and other issues.. ..…

“If the Russian threat justifies arms for all of Western Europe,” he declared, “surely it justifies similar arms for Nationalist China, for Indochina, for India, and ultimately for Japan; and in the Near East for Iran, for Syria, and for Iraq. … There is no limit to the burden.” ..…

Minxin Pei, a political scientist, likewise claimed China is “undermining the Western liberal order” in terms of ideological threats. ... China’s economic institutions are still complicated, distinguished from those in western countries with its conspicuous state..…

The issue of Xinjiang adds another irritant to already strained ties between Washington and Beijing, who are trying to end a bitter trade war and have several other areas of disagreement, including the disputed South China Sea and U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan. . Late last year, more than a..…