Beijing wants to solidify its status as a major power broker in the Middle East with a regional summit: Fresh off brokering a landmark agreement that will see Saudi Arabia and Iran normalize ties, China wants to bring Gulf and Iranian leaders together for a major regional summit later this year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran will come together in Beijing at the behest of the Chinese, who are looking to broker a wider detente between the two sides and end decades of hostilities in the region.

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