What Beijing has learned about the US from the Iran war – POLITICO

The increasingly intractable conflict between the U.S. and Iran is revealing American military and strategic vulnerabilities — and offering important lessons to its biggest rival.

China is watching as the U.S. fails to cut through an Iranian blockade and expends heavy firepower, the Trump administration struggles to extricate itself from an unpopular war, global gas prices soar and the Pentagon’s strategic documents reveal that warding off Beijing is no longer the top priority.

As U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to meet for a high stakes meeting next week, the U.S. is caught in an uncertain ceasefire. And with frustrated allies refusing to assist and a war driving political trouble for Trump at home, current and former U.S. defense officials fear China is heading into the meeting holding the cards