US Foreign Relations Challenges & Ship Sickness

Today, NewsForKids.net looks at two important stories: United States President Donald Trump is facing a challenging week in foreign relations. He’s heading to China to meet with President Xi Jinping, but he’s still unable to end his war with Iran. And passengers are returning home from a ship where a rare virus broke out.

Trump Faces Foreign Relations Challenges

US President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi in Beijing on Thursday. The two countries will work to improve their relations, which have become tense in recent years.

Some tension comes from being the world’s two largest powers, each with a different system of government. And some comes from holding different views, such as China’s belief that Taiwan belongs to it.

US President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi in Beijing on Thursday. The two countries will work to improve their relations, which have become tense in recent years. Above, Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi meeting in South Korea last October.

But much of the tension is the result of Mr. Trump’s actions. These include his tariffs on Chinese products, and his threats and attacks on Chinese allies like Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran.

China is in a much stronger position now than it was when Mr. Trump last visited in 2017. And the US finds itself weakened, and with fewer allies.

The meeting was planned for earlier, but was delayed because of the US war on Iran. Iran – a major oil supplier for China – will be an important subject at the meeting.

There is still a ceasefire between the US and Iran, but efforts at peace talks seem to have gotten stuck.

Iran’s greatest strength in the war has been that it controls the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas pass through this important waterway. Iran has closed the strait to most Western countries, which has driven up fuel prices worldwide.

Last week the US began – and then quickly ended – a plan to protect ships passing through the strait. Despite the ceasefire, there have been attacks from both sides.

The strait is one problem blocking a peace deal. Iran wants to remain in control of the strait. The US doesn’t want this. Iran also wants to delay talks about its nuclear program. But the US wants nuclear issues settled before the war ends.

Mr. Trump has described Iran’s latest peace plan as “garbage”, and suggested that the ceasefire might not last much longer.

Passengers From Cruise Ship With Hantavirus Head Home

A rare virus, called hantavirus, was found on the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship. The ship was traveling from West Africa toward the Canary Islands with about 150 people on board.

Though it’s rare, people can get hantavirus by breathing in dust from the dried droppings of infected mice or rats. It’s not common for the sickness to spread between people.

Three of the ship’s passengers died, and several others have become sick. Some travelers from the ship have returned to their home countries. Health departments in places like France and the US are keeping an eye on people who were near the sick passengers, to make sure they remain healthy.

Experts say the danger to the rest of the world is low, since the disease doesn’t spread easily from person to person.

The ship arrived in the Canary Islands on Sunday. To keep everyone safe, the ship will stay away from the land. Passengers are being checked by doctors and taken ashore carefully to prevent any contact with the public.

Medical experts are still working to learn exactly how the virus spread.