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Isa Soares Tonight
China Warns the U.S. Over Taiwan; Russia Launches Massive Strikes Against Ukraine, Killing At Least Eight People as Temporary Ceasefire Expires; Multiple Resignations and Calls for Leadership Change Hit U.K. Labor Party as Keir Starmer Vows to Still Stay on as PM. Xi Hails New Era in U.S.-China Ties; Xi Warns Trump on Taiwan; Trump Says Xi Offered to Help with Iran; Cuba's Energy Crisis. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 14, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, China warns the U.S. over Taiwan as
Presidents Trump and Xi prepare to meet again in the coming hours, we'll have all the details from the high stakes summit.
Then, Russia launches massive strikes against Ukraine, killing at least eight people as a temporary ceasefire expires. We'll have a report from
Ukraine on the scale of the damage. Plus, multiple resignations and calls for leadership change.
We'll have more on the political turmoil, sending shockwaves across the U.K. this hour. But first, tonight, amid the pomp, the pageantry and the
smiles at this historic summit, of course, leader Xi Jinping has toasted as we've seen each other, the dinner.
But they have also come with a warning. U.S. President and Xi -- President Trump and leader Xi Jinping had a state dinner. They said they tried to hit
the restart button on the relationship between their two countries, but Mr. Xi made it clear that Taiwan is China's top priority.
And he did warn that differences over the self-governing island could lead to a highly dangerous situation if mishandled. On the Middle East, the
White House says the two leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. President Trump told "Fox News"; his counterpart offered to help Iran
-- help with Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Xi would like to see a deal made. He would -- he would like to see a deal made. And -- oh,
he did offer -- he said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help. He'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: However, a Chinese readout of the talks made no direct mention of overrun or the Strait of Hormuz, and perhaps underscoring really the close
relationship between Beijing and Tehran. Iran claims 30 ships, and that includes Chinese vessels crossed through the Strait of Hormuz since
Wednesday.
Let's get more on this. At the White House, we have our Alayna Treene. Alayna, great to see you once again. Look, I wonder -- we played that
little clip from the President there from that interview. I wonder if we have any more detail about what that help from China, from Beijing, what
that would look like.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, we're getting kind of mixed signals, actually, not only between what you pointed out,
Isa, between the U.S. readout and the President's comments, and then what we're hearing from the Chinese.
But also, from the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is, of course, in China, in Beijing with President Trump. Rubio did an interview with "NBC
News", and he essentially said that they do not need their help, that end essentially as well that the Chinese kind of offered the same position on
Iran that they've made in previous statements.
This idea that they are opposed to the militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, and that they don't support having there be a toll imposed. Again,
that is something we have heard from the Chinese previously. Good to keep in mind that the Strait is, of course, very important to the Chinese.
They are the biggest consumer of Iranian oil. So, it's a benefit to them as well to have the Strait open and having ships being able to go through that
key waterway openly. But I will say, we do have to wait to hear more about what exactly they discussed.
You did hear the President in just that short, limited clip with "Fox News". That is one part of a broader interview that we are waiting to hear
from as well. So, perhaps he'll give us more details. I also think it's important to note that the meeting we saw between these two leaders is not
the only meeting they're going to have.
They are also expected to meet tomorrow local in the morning, Beijing time. And that meeting, we're told, is actually going to be a lot smaller.
They're going to have tea, and it will be an opportunity for them to be in much closer quarters.
And the reason I bring that up is because, that is actually something we know just from the President's -- President Trump's negotiating style that
he prefers. He likes to sit directly in front of these leaders, look them in the eye, and have these types of conversations rather than what we kind
of saw with the meeting earlier in the day between these two leaders.
Where, you know, they were kind of surrounded on big table with maybe 30 or so people surrounding them. So, that could give us a little bit more
clarity, as is what happens in that meeting where these two men are face- to-face having these conversations.
[14:05:00]
Look, I do think the Iran issue has proven to be the one that is really looming over all of this. This is not what this visit was initially
supposed to be about. They wanted this to be the White House, to be a meeting about trade and economic ties, and also trying to highlight the
partnership.
It was striking to me that in the comments we heard both from President Xi and President Trump, just kind of the flowery language, and really the
positive language of talking about the strong ties between these two, even as you heard, Xi kind of issued this veiled warning about Taiwan and saying
that could be an issue that could threaten the stability that we see between these two countries right now.
So that was pretty fascinating. But I do agree with you. I think the Iran issue is truly one of the most important that we are going to learn about
from this visit, just given, there are many people that believe perhaps, Xi could be helpful in convincing the Iranians to come to the table, to the
negotiating table in a much more serious way than they have been so far.
Really, though, the only key details we have is that, at least, from the U.S. side, is that they are willing to help the United States, and they do
want a deal to materialize. But beyond that, we really haven't learned a lot more about the specifics. Isa.
SOARES: Alayna Treene, I know you'll stay across it for us. Thanks very much. Good to see you, Alayna. Well, let's get more on the China's -- well,
China's perspective. I want to turn to Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. And Ivan, we were just talking there, good to see you, by the way.
We were just talking there about the -- Taiwan, because the Chinese readout wasn't -- I think it's fair to say, as sparse as the U.S. And we saw a
warning, I think we can say a warning of sorts from the Chinese saying that this country and the U.S. need to be careful about they -- how they handle
Taiwan.
I'm going to quote him here, "to prevent a" -- quote, "very dangerous situation." How did you read this? I mean, is this a clear red line and a
message to U.S. President?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but it's also repeating a red line that the Chinese government has repeated for years. It has made
clear that Taiwan is a top priority, that it -- Xi Jinping has been pushing for what he describes as reunification of that self-governing island, which
the Chinese Communist Party has never governed with mainland China and the U.S. has always had this policy of strategic ambiguity.
Recognizing one, China, but also and not supporting independence of Taiwan per se. So, what I think we heard from Xi Jinping was, he just was laying
down a marker at the start of the meeting. This would be a breaking point in our relations.
But then the rest of the public comments were, as you just heard, kind of flowery. It was just lavish in compliments and respect that was
reciprocated by President Trump. Another line that the Chinese government likes, and has repeated for years is that, it wants a win-win situation,
that it will be mutual kind of growth if the world's two largest economies get along.
He had some lines that I think must have been catnip for President Trump, saying that achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and
making America great again can go hand-in-hand. And take a listen to what more he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XI JINPING, PRESIDENT, CHINA (through translator): 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. Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And, you know, I think what's so striking when you see these two leaders being so friendly and enjoying these banquets together and these
things like that is, when you look back at how rough some of the rhetoric has been in the past, where President Trump, when he first was campaigning
for his first term, repeatedly would accuse China of ripping the U.S. off.
Guess what? The trade surplus that he hated in years past still exists. It appears to be growing this year as opposed to 2025. But you're not hearing
him talk and complain about it in public. Some of the really derogatory things he said where he called the COVID 19 pandemic the Wuhan virus, you
know, that's gone out the window.
And instead, you have these two leaders, again, lavishing praise on each other and apparently coming here to Beijing to try to work out some kind of
trade deals moving forward, because both their economies seem to need it.
[14:10:00]
SOARES: And just picking up on one thing you said, Ivan, I mean, you're talking about a win-win. What would be a win-win for Xi Jinping? Because
I'm guessing he's looking for something more strategic, more long-term, whether obviously, President Trump much more transactional and short-term,
of course, a win at home. What would that look like for Xi Jinping?
WATSON: Sure, I mean, removal of tariffs, getting Chinese companies off of American blacklists, for example. And some of the things we've heard from
some Chinese officials speaking to CNN in the run-up to this summit, is that they believe that what is agreed upon, and we still don't know because
it's all behind closed doors with President Trump, could set the tone for relations between the U.S. and China for the next decade, no matter who is
going to be in office, which party in Washington going forward.
So, getting any kind of shift, slight shift from U.S. policy statements on Taiwan, for example, would be seen as a victory for China. So, these are
some of the areas that they're looking at. And China also has had these kinds of ten years since the first trade war that President --
SOARES: Yes --
WATSON: Trump declared to diversify the economy in China, to be less reliant on exports to the U.S. These are some of the measures that China
has taken towards self-sufficiency, that we've actually heard ordinary Beijing residents saying that they're kind of grateful that Trump has taken
such a tough line with their country in the past.
That it's forced China to become a bit more self-sufficient in some of its bilateral trade. And I do have to -- one other point. When President Trump
declared Liberation Day last April, and started slapping tariffs on every economy around the world, including triple-digit tariffs on China, it was
Xi Jinping who stood up to him, who flexed --
SOARES: Yes --
WATSON: China's economic might by threatening to reduce, to restrict the exports of rare earths, a monopoly -- virtual monopoly that China enjoys,
and that forced Trump to back down. And since then, you know, President Trump has lost some of his tariff powers due to U.S. Supreme Court
decisions.
So, he's come into this meeting missing some of the tools that he had in the past. And on top of that, you have the ongoing Iran war and the energy
crisis that, that has created, which is also impacting China, just as it's hurting Americans every --
SOARES: Indeed --
WATSON: Time they fill up their cars at the gas station.
SOARES: A very different China, like you said, Ivan, much more robust, much more resilient. Good to see you, Ivan Watson there. Well, as I
mentioned earlier as I was speaking to my colleague at the top of the show, the war with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz came up between President Trump
and Xi, with Mr. Trump saying China was offering to help with a potential deal.
Our Matthew Chance is in Tehran right now, and we'd like to note, CNN only operates in Iran with government permission, but maintains full editorial
control of what it reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, as you can see, it's a bustling capital of the Islamic Republic. But
Iranians today are watching President Trump in China, one of their most implacable enemies, meeting a powerful friend.
And with the Iran war so high on the agenda in Beijing, state media is almost gloating at the spectacle. One headline I saw earlier saying that
Trump's visit to China is in the shadow of failure and stalemate. But the truth is, both the United States and Iran are now looking to China, it
seems, as a way out of their deadlock.
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the inability to agree a compromise on Iran's nuclear activities. Washington, of course, wants
Beijing to pressure Tehran to accept its terms. But here, officials are calling on China, the Islamic Republic's most important trading partner, to
mediate a favorable end to a damaging war. Matthew Chance, CNN in Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, China says Russia's war in Ukraine was also discussed at the summit with the U.S., and it comes as Ukraine reports Russia's largest
prolonged drone attack since the war began. President Volodymyr Zelensky says more than 1,500 drones were used, along with missiles.
At least, 12 people were killed in the attack, which began Wednesday. The mayor of Kyiv describes the scene. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE (through translator): Another Russian attack on the city of Kyiv, specifically on the Donetsk district.
We can see a damaged building, a nine-story block with 18 flats destroyed. Work is currently underway.
[14:15:00]
We hope there are no people trapped under the rubble, but the likelihood is quite high. There have been a large number of strikes across various
districts of our city. The headquarters are now in operation. Medical assistance is being provided to all those affected. We are continuing our
work. Unfortunately, the air raid alert is still in effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Ukraine's capital was hammered in the attack, but it wasn't alone. Our Nick Paton Walsh has the very latest for you from Kharkiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A particularly huge Russian assault on Ukraine in the last 24 hours. The
sirens just going off again here in Kharkiv, and the street cleaners here to wash the blood off the streets.
Injuries here in Kharkiv, but the larger toll in the capital of Kyiv, 1,500 just short of drones fired in the last 24 hours, over 50 missiles and the
whole side of a residential building torn down in Kyiv. Dozens rescued from that site already, children already among the injured.
And as President Trump visits China, Ukrainian officials pointing to an onslaught like this as a reminder that Russia's offer of a limited
ceasefire in the last week isn't a reflection of them actually wanting peace.
Ukraine's interceptor drones able to take some of the damage out of these assaults, but ultimately, still the threat of constant Russian bombardment,
particularly in these horrific images that we're now seeing emerging from Kyiv, that rubble being combed through as the toll of injured and dead
rises.
A sign of how much Ukraine continues to endure despite now having technological advantages in drone warfare, that much of the world is
covered as well. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, "a battle for the soul of our nation." That is a statement from the U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer. As members of his own party
appear to be sharpening their swords for his ouster, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announcing he's resigning from his post.
In a scathing letter, he says it would be dishonorable and unprincipled to remain in government, but he stopped short of saying he was gunning for Mr.
Starmer's job. Still, this clears a path for Streeting to mount a Labor leadership challenge.
Pressure has been growing for a potential change after the party suffered huge losses in local elections last week. Our Clare Sebastian has been on
the story right from the beginning and joins me now with all the details. And Clare, this was supposed, of course, to be Wes Streeting's day, but now
Andy Burnham; the mayor of Greater Manchester stepped in.
And let me just read out what he said on X, part of what he said. "Much bigger change is needed at national level if everyday life is to be made
more affordable again. This is why I now seek people's support to return to parliament, to bring" -- "to bring the change we have brought to Greater
Manchester, to the whole of U.K. and make politics work properly for people."
I mean, question is at this moment, will he be allowed to run? Talk us through what the scenarios could look like here, Clare.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the latest in a great number of curveballs in another dizzying day in British politics. Really more
evidence, I think that the landscape has fundamentally shifted over the past weeks since those catastrophic local election results for Labor.
First of all, of course, we got Wes Streeting expected it had been reported, but still, bombshell announcement around 1 O'clock U.K. time that
he was resigning as Health Secretary. A really senior figure in the cabinet, a huge blow to the Prime Minister.
And not only did he leave, but he left with a stinging rebuke in his resignation letter of the Prime Minister. I'll read you a portion of that.
He said, "where we need vision, we have a vacuum, where we need direction, we have drift."
And he goes on to say, it is now clear that you will not lead the Labor Party into the next general election. Now, as you say, no official
announcement that he's challenging Starmer, he may not have enough support in parliament as of yet.
He needs 20 percent of Labor MPs, that's about 81. But still, this could pave the way. The Prime Minister came out and responded with a letter to
Wes Streeting. This struck a much more conciliatory tone, Prime Minister saying "it is incumbent on all of us to rise to what I see as a battle for
the soul of our nation.
As part of that, we must deliver", he said, "on all of the promises we made to the country, including our promise to turn the page on the chaos that
was roundly rejected by the British people at the last general election."
A reference to, of course, the fact that the previous conservative government had gone through three Prime Ministers in their last two years
in government, and that is what the Labor Party ran on ending. And I think a hint to Wes Streeting there.
But it's still a conciliatory one that all of this is not helping matters. And then, as you say, Andy Burnham steps up. One Labor MP has said that
he's going to stand aside and Andy Burnham can run in a by-election. He is seen as a very popular Labor politician, a powerful potential challenger to
Starmer.
There's still a lot of procedure here to get to -- get to get through. He needs permission from the Labor Party's governing body.
[14:20:00]
Its so-called national executive committee to run. Then, of course, they need to organize the by-election. That could take several weeks. And then,
of course, he has to win it. But still, I think at this point, this day has taken us several steps closer to a potential leadership race.
It's not going to happen imminently, but it certainly does complicate the job of the Prime Minister, who continues to fight to prove to the British
people that he has what it takes to stay on.
SOARES: Yes, and it's important, Clare, to remind viewers why we are here, because we had elections just -- I think it was last week or so, that, you
know, the Labor Party did dismally, right? Did really badly to reform U.K. Now the leader of Reform U.K., Nigel Farage, you and I have spoken about
him at length in the past few days.
He's tweeted in the last few moments, Clare, saying we look forward to the Makerfield by-election reform. We'll throw absolutely everything at it as
you would expect. I suppose the question now is, you know, as Starmer battles on, what will he do next if there are more people?
At the moment, there isn't a leadership contest. But if people -- more people throw their hat in the ring, if one is then started, what happens?
What does he do?
SEBASTIAN: So, look, publicly, Starmer has said all along, all throughout this week, and frankly, as he's faced criticism and questions even before
those local election results, he has said that he isn't walking away. He has this five-year mandate; he's going to stick with it.
He needs more time to deliver the change that he's promised, and he's going to do so with increased urgency behind the scenes, obviously, we don't know
what's happening. We understood that he was in parliament earlier today, and that perhaps means that he's been meeting with MPs and trying to rally
support.
We just don't know. There is sort of horse-trading we understand happening behind the scenes like this. But as for a leadership race, I think the
situation that we've been in this week is that, no one has wanted to start it.
Obviously, the question is, if Wes Streeting had had the 81 MPs that he needs to start a race, perhaps he would have done. But there are plenty of
people out there, saying, I don't want to start a race, but if one happens, I will throw my hat in the ring.
So, I think if this kicks off, if someone gathers the support, if Burnham gets back into parliament and can -- and can run, then I think all of these
events could precipitate pretty quickly. But we don't have a timeline as of yet. We don't have a leadership as of yet.
But as I said, I think this dizzying, bruising day for the Prime Minister has taken us a couple of steps closer.
SOARES: Yes, and what a roller-coaster it has been, Clare, appreciate it, good to see you. Clare Sebastian there. And still to come tonight, both
can't be telling the truth. Israel's Prime Minister -- Israel says its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, secretly visited the UAE, achieving a
historic breakthrough. The UAE says it never happened. Which one is it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: With just days left until their latest ceasefire expires, Israel and Lebanon are meeting for a third round of talks right now at the State
Department. U.S. diplomats, including Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, are working to broker a durable peace.
But no talks so far and no declared truce has managed to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli forces carried out new strikes in
southern Lebanon today. They say Hezbollah fired a drone at Israel, injuring several people.
Israel is vowing to keep troops in southern Lebanon in what it calls a security buffer zone. This week, it pushed the boundary even further,
crossing the Litani River for the first time. And the United Arab Emirates is denying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret
trip to the UAE during the war on Iran.
Mr. Netanyahu's office didn't just announce the visit, it also said he made, quote, "a historic breakthrough in relations, meeting with the
Emirati president." Netanyahu's former Chief of Staff, Ziv Agmon said he was on the trip and Mr. Netanyahu was received, quote, "with royal honors."
The UAE says it never happened. Let's get more on both these stories with our Jeremy Diamond, who joins me now from Jerusalem. Jeremy, good to see
you. Let me start first with these peace talks we're seeing in Washington.
What can we realistically here expect to come out of these talks, given, of course, that these cross-border attacks continue on both sides.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the primary thing that these two sides need to accomplish before they can get to anything else is
an extension of the ceasefire in Lebanon, which is now -- has been going on for four weeks, is set to expire in a matter of days.
And in order to allow for the negotiations to continue, this ceasefire needs to remain in place. Now, of course, we know that the existence of
this ceasefire over the last four weeks hasn't meant a halt to the attacks altogether.
We have seen daily Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, near daily Hezbollah attacks against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, as well as
against northern Israeli communities, as we saw today, as one of those drones impacted in one of those northern Israeli communities, injuring
several civilians.
But ultimately, the existence of the ceasefire has given the space to both sides to discuss the potential for disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon and
trying to remove Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, and ultimately, normalize relations between these two countries.
Because it has meant a decrease, at least, in the number of Israeli attacks in Lebanon, in particular. We saw today that two additional officials
joined both sides at the negotiating table today.
On the Lebanese side, we saw Simon Karam; a former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, who had previously headed up direct negotiations with Israel
back in December before the current round even began.
And on the Israeli side, the deputy national security adviser, this suggests that perhaps these two sides are entering the more substantive
portion of these negotiations. Remember, the Lebanese government has been adamant that these are just preparatory talks, trying to set the table for
the substance to actually take place.
Ultimately, there's no indication as of yet that we're anywhere close to that meeting between the Lebanese President and the Israeli Prime Minister.
The Lebanese government has said that they need to see a true total halt to Israeli attacks before anything like that can happen.
SOARES: And I know you'll stay across that story for us. But let me ask you about the other story we were telling viewers, of course, which is that
Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that he made a trip to UAE during the war in Iran. The UAE is now denying it. Which one is it?
DIAMOND: Well, listen, the Emirati denial of this story was quite significant, given that it came just hours after the Israeli Prime
Minister's office framed this meeting between Netanyahu and the President of the UAE as, you know, kind of a breakthrough in relations, taking
relations to a new and deeper level between the Emiratis and the Israelis.
And so, the Emirati denial kind of flies in the face of that. Of course, the Emirates, for their part, have faced significant blowback in the Arab
world for their closer ties with Israel. What is undeniable, though, whether or not this meeting actually happened, is the fact that Israel and
the Emirates are getting closer and closer by the day.
And that this war with Iran has brought the Emirates even closer to Israel than before. We saw that, for example, in the revelation this -- earlier
this week, that Israel had sent Iron Dome Air Defense Battery to the UAE, alongside, you know, a garrison of soldiers to actually man that air
defense system.
And it is just the latest indication, of course, of how close the defense and security ties between these two countries have now become. Isa?
SOARES: All right, good context there from our Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem. Thanks, Jeremy.
And still to come tonight, two sides, two spins, the different ways the U.S. and China are talking about their superpower summit. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Let's return now to our top story and the summit in Beijing between the leaders of the U.S. and China. For his part,
Donald Trump is stressing the war with Iran, hoping China can play a role in getting the Strait of Hormuz reopened.
And the U.S. president says China has vowed not to give Iran military equipment. This, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping raises Taiwan. He's warning
that a conflict over the self-governing island could create, quote, "a very dangerous situation between the two superpowers."
It is worth noting, though, that China is doing what it can to cater to the U.S. president during the trip, as you can expect. The state dinner menu
includes Chinese dishes that seem designed to fit Mr. Trump's tastes, like crispy beef ribs and pan-fried pork buns. We're not going to talk about the
menu. We're going to talk about the geopolitics of it all.
Joining us now to help break down what is happening at the summit, both in the open and behind the scenes, is Lingling Wei. Thank you very much.
Really appreciate you, Lingling Wei, being with us. She's a chief China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Lingling, welcome to the show.
I was reading through, as you probably were waiting through, the readouts from both leaders, carefully worded, measured readouts. And it really stood
out reading the Chinese readout. I'm going to read out part of what it says.
President Xi stressed that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. It is handled properly. The bilateral relationship
will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great
jeopardy. I mean, that, to me, seems like a very clear red line or a warning from the Chinese side. How do you read it?
[14:35:00]
LINGLING WEI, CHIEF CHINA CORRESPONDENT, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Sure. Thank you for having me. Let's step back just for a second. The more
important story here is that we've got two leaders meeting in Beijing, two readouts and two completely different agendas.
President Trump came to the table for a deal. And the White House readout highlighted trade and investment issues. By comparison, China's readout
really highlighted Xi Jinping's attempt to reset the relationship between the two powers, what China is calling constructive strategic stability for
the next three years and beyond. In essence, Xi Jinping basically is trying to secure a more predictable and stable U.S. policy toward China for the
remainder of Trump's presidency.
And as you pointed out, there was a very stern, blunt warning on Taiwan. So, Xi Jinping very clearly drew a red line on the Taiwan issue. So,
considering that and the broader bilateral relationship framework Xi Jinping was trying to put in place, that means that no surprise actions
deemed as hostile to Beijing going forward, be it terror pikes, be it sanctions or other perceived provocations on China's red lines, including
Taiwan.
So, basically, what Xi Jinping is trying to do is to lock in a predictable framework before the next U.S. election cycle scrambles it again.
SOARES: A predictable framework, Lingling, from a very unpredictable president, right? I mean, I don't know if you read the White House, because
the White House readout, you know, didn't even mention Taiwan. We do know, of course, that the position on Taiwan from the United States has not
changed. And we have heard in the last few days, in the last 24 hours, as you say, senators in U.S. voicing their concerns about any sort of wavering
on the front of the question of Taiwan.
So, I mean, how much do you think Xi Jinping will push on the question of Taiwan in terms of just even the slightest language? Because this will be,
like you said, a strategic win-for-win, but it may have destabilizing consequences for the region.
WEI: Absolutely. There's no question Xi Jinping raised the issue of Taiwan during their bilateral on Thursday, and there's no question President Xi
Jinping also pushed President Trump to concede maybe a little bit on the Taiwan language. And that's really, as you pointed out, that's really where
the gap between the two readouts is widest.
Xi was very direct with Trump, telling him Taiwan is the most important issue, and one that is, if it's not handled properly, the two countries
will collide or even clash. That's quite blunt from Xi's part. But, you know, in the context of, you know, how China wants to reset relationship to
make it more stable, they clearly drew the red line on Taiwan.
So, they're going to -- if Trump does anything that's, you know, deemed as not constructive on the Taiwan issue, the Chinese likely would go back to
the U.S. side and say, you know, look, this is what you have agreed on, the kind of framework we have agreed on, the consensus between the two leaders.
Anything the U.S. does on the Taiwan issue that's not considered constructive by the Chinese side, they would protest, they would raise. So,
it means Xi Jinping basically is trying to set the framework of the U.S.- China relationship on his terms.
SOARES: Yes, yes. Look, it really is fascinating, because I was reading the U.S. readout, and it not only did it omit Taiwan, it was much sparser
than the Chinese version. But I want to tell you -- I want to read out part of what it said on the question of Tehran, the other T, on the question of
Iran. The two sides agree that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also made clear China's
opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.
I mean, really, Lingling, this is all well and good, but how do you get it open in the first place? How much influence does Beijing have in this
conflict? Is Beijing, is Xi Jinping really like a Tehran whisperer here? How do you see this?
WEI: China certainly has leverage over Iran, because it's such a big customer of Iranian oil, right?
[14:40:00]
So, the fact that, you know, based on the White House readout and President Trump's later remarks after the summit on Thursday, it appeared that China
had told -- Xi has told President Trump that he's willing to help on the issue involving Iran.
However, there is a structural limit on any cooperation between Beijing and Washington on the Iran crisis. You know, China has made no indication that
they would stop buying Iranian oil. So, that means Chinese crude purchases will continue to underwrite the very economy Washington sanctions are
designed to choke. So, they're definitely on limit on how much China is willing to help the U.S. on the Iran question.
SOARES: Such important insight there from Lingling Wei. Thank you, Lingling, really appreciate it joining us there from New York.
WEI: Thank you.
SOARES: You're very welcome. And still to come tonight, protests in Havana as Cuba's energy minister says the country has run out of oil. Do stay with
us for that story after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. Cuba says it has completely run out of diesel fuel and oil under a U.S. blockade. Scattered protests have broken out in Havana
amid a series of island-wide blackouts, some of which have lasted for days. The Cuban energy minister reports a Russian donation of oil in late March
has been exhausted. He warns the crisis will get worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICENTE DE LA O LEVY, CUBAN ENERGY MINISTER (through translator): The volumes involved in fuel consumption for electricity generation are in the
millions of tons across the different types. The sum of the different types of fuel, crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have absolutely none, diesel, of
which we have absolutely none, I'm being repetitive. The only thing we have is gas from our wells where production has grown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more from our Patrick Oppmann from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Somehow Cuba's already terrible energy wars are about to get a lot worse. Cuban officials have come on national TV
to essentially warn people that as bad as things are, they are going to deteriorate even more. We're talking about 20-to-22-hour more than that
possibly, blackouts each day.
[14:45:00]
And the reason for that is this country simply does not have any fuel anymore. There was a shipment of Russian oil that has now run out. It's the
only shipment that this island has received in four months, ever since the Trump administration put a virtual oil blockade on Cuba.
And so, you've seen the blackouts stretch longer and longer to the point where many basic functions, people being able to cook, people being able to
school, go to work, have any kind of public transportation have now been essentially curtailed. And so, because of that, people are going out more
in greater regularity to protest, particularly at night.
There's no easy solution to this. The U.S. is negotiating with Cuba, has offered some assistance if this island's government makes very deep
changes. But at this point, those negotiations haven't progressed very far. The government says they are not willing to make any leadership changes in
their system of government. The Communist Party rule here will not change.
So, it's unclear what the government is willing to make in terms of concessions to the Trump administration. But people here that we're talking
to on the street say they simply can't take any more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now, Patrick Oppmann joins me now from Havana. Patrick, I was looking at what the energy minister was also saying there. They're some of
these blackouts are lasting for what, 20, 25, 22 hours a day. That is incredibly crippling against so many levels. Just give us a sense, our
viewers, a sense of what day-to-day is like given, of course, temperatures heating up here.
OPPMANN: And that's the issue that, of course, we're getting into summer now and the hotter things get, one, the more uncomfortable it gets and
tempers run shorter. And on top of that, with the fact that trash has not been picked up, we're just getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. If you sleep
outside, as many people do in the summer months when there's no power, then there's just a spread of disease. And it gets really very unlivable, for
lack of a better word.
And when people go out and protest here, they're taking a huge risk. This is not a government that allows people to protest, to go out and call for a
change in government, or just to voice their displeasure, to go out and bang pots and pans. That can get you in a lot of trouble here. And, yet
people are taking that extraordinary step because they feel they have nothing left to lose.
And as disconcerting as it was to hear the energy minister talk last night about how bad the situation is, there are not a lot of solutions offered
there. Really, the government is telling people, you're just going to have to take it because we're being strong-armed by the U.S. But as well, the
infrastructure has been allowed to fall apart here.
There's been major investments in tourism, almost no investments in the infrastructure that keeps the power on, that keeps the water running, that
keeps cars on the road. All these basic things have been allowed to fall apart. And the energy sector has not been allowed to privatize, but as
well, the government doesn't invest in it. And so, that's one of the reasons people tend to blame their government, even though, of course, U.S.
sanctions are real, they are having an impact.
But the fact is the Cuban government does have a role in this, and to have the government come on TV and sort of say, things are going to get worse
and there's really no light at the end of the tunnel because we're not willing to make concessions, that is incredibly distressing for the people
who are going to have to bear the brunt of this.
SOARES: Indeed. Incredibly desperate measures for so many, like you said, the risk that many are taking coming out in the streets and protesting. I
have seen the last few moments, though, Patrick, that the Cuban government said today that it is ready to listen to this aid offer. What more do we
know about this? And when it says it's listening, what does then the U.S. expect in return? You were alluding to that just before we came to you.
OPPMANN: Yes, absolutely. So, the U.S., you know, they have a long list of what they want to see change in this country. They want the Communist Party
to release its grip on the political system here. They want economic changes. Of course, this is a very tightly controlled economy. They want
people, you know, who've had to leave this island over decades to come back and have more rights when it comes to investing and have a judicial system
that protects them when they come back and invest.
And so, we're talking about an overhaul that we've not seen since Fidel Castro took power here. And of course, there was resistance to that. I
always say this is one of the countries that's changed the least since the fall of the Berlin Wall. And they have really resisted a lot of changes
that even Cuban government economics -- excuse me, economists have called for, you know, the changes that people within the system have said have
needed to take place for years.
[14:50:00]
And those changes have not happened. And that's one of the reasons that this government -- this country, is in the dire straits it is right now.
SOARES: Our man in Havana, Patrick Oppmann. Good to see you, Patrick. Thank you. And still to come tonight in a World Cup first, FIFA announces a
star-studded addition to this year's final. We'll have more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: This animation gets me very excited for the World Cup, of course, because football fans are used to stretching their legs at halftime, but
perhaps not during this year's World Cup final. Today, FIFA announced that Madonna, BTS, and Shakira will headline a star-studded halftime show.
Shakira, as you well know, has cemented her title as the queen of the World Cup anthems over the years, especially with a 2010 hit that I'm still
listening to in my car thanks to my kids, "Waka Waka." She's back at it this year, recently unveiling this year's official song, "Dai-Dai."
The match is set for July 19 in New York, but attending won't come cheap. Some tickets sold for thousands of dollars. And Maria Santana joins me now
from New York. So, Maria, give us a sense then of why the decision to have a halftime show. It's not something we're used to here on this side of the
pond.
MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And, you know, it was a decision made by FIFA. They wanted a big star-studded entertainment
spectacle in the style of American football's Super Bowl. You know, that draws a lot of people.
Millions of people watch the Super Bowl halftime show every year. But, you know, it hasn't gone as smoothly for FIFA. While some, you know, people are
very excited about performances by Colombian superstar Shakira and BTS and Madonna, others have criticized the decision, saying that, you know,
especially more traditional football fans, soccer fans in Europe and Latin America, they've said that FIFA is just trying to Americanize or
commercialize this tradition for them, and also that this could have a negative impact on the players.
You know, the halftime in soccer is usually just 45 -- it's usually just 15 minutes. They would need to extend that time for a performance. But critics
worry that a longer halftime could disrupt the flow of the match and even affect player performance, risk injuries.
[14:55:00]
Because, you know, unlike American football in soccer, the players are in constant motion for 45 straight minutes during two halves, and staying warm
is really important to the game.
But, you know, FIFA hopes that this is going to bring a lot of people to the games. You know, getting there is going to be another story, especially
because, as you said, the prices, and not just the ticket prices, but just getting there. I mean, in New York, one train ticket from Manhattan to
MetLife Stadium, a trip that normally costs around $13, will cost fans $105 round trip. And that's down from $150 after there was some backlash from
fans over these prices, Isa.
SOARES: I can't even imagine what that final show, how much that would cost, how much tickets will go for, regardless, of course, of who is
performing at halftime. And I'm a huge fan of Shakira. Maria Santana, great to see you. Maria, thank you very much.
SANTANA: You can't have World Cup without Shakira. That's tradition.
SOARES: Oh, indeed. Yes, exactly. I know. "Waka Waka," right? We all remember this.
SANTANA: Shakira (INAUDIBLE).
SOARES: Yes, Exactly. That does it for this hour. Do stay right here. I'll have more of "What We Know" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
