NANNING, China -- As U.S. President Donald Trump prepared a major escalation of his trade battle, China's leaders were engaging in a charm offensive meant to keep the country's friends close -- and pull its rivals closer.
Vice Premier Han Zheng, one of the most powerful members of Beijing's political machine, opened an annual gathering of officials and business people from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sept. 12 by saying their relationship with China could be an "exemplary model of common destiny of mankind."
