Hong Kong/Beijing
—
In quick succession, US President Donald Trump has taken out two of Beijing’s closest allies: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The former is now in shackles in a New York detention facility after being snatched from Caracas by US special forces in an extraordinary overnight raid. The latter was killed in a daring daylight bomb drop in the center of Tehran in a joint US mission with Israel.
In the aftermath, China has responded with anger – condemning the capture or killing of a sovereign leader and the apparent US attempt at regime change while reaching out to Iran express its friendship. But China has done…