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This is the explanation from the BBC World Service, recorded on the 29th of October.
I'm John Simpson, and this is Unspun World,
the programme that goes behind the headlines to find out what's really going on.
On this programme...
In the week when Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping, what's Trump's basic approach to dealing with China?
He wants to get a deal that allows the United States to do what it wants to do,
but does not necessarily prevent China from expanding.
But how effective is US foreign policy in China's backyard, Southeast Asia?
This diplomacy has really been hit and miss, whereas China is steady and patient.
You know, it always thinks in long terms.
And in the wake of the Gaza ceasefire, what's the future for Netanyahu and the Israeli government?
There's this sense that, you know, when the final hostages return,
perhaps those weekly protests that we've seen calling for the return of the hostages will turn into something about ousting Netanyahu.
It's a fascinating spectacle.
The leaders of the world's two biggest economies squaring up to each other knowing that their competition can either enrich them both
as it has for 30 years now or can do immense damage not only to them but also to the rest of the world.
Both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping of China are starting to play their strongest cards.
President Trump has imposed immense and damaging tariffs on Chinese exports to the US.
President Xi is using China's carefully planned stranglehold on rare earths,