Written by by Zhao Ziwen at scmp.com
With the Israel-Gaza war in its 10th month and the prospect of a widening in the conflict to include Iran, Washington and Beijing have stepped up their diplomatic efforts in recent weeks to exert their influence and achieve a ceasefire.
Israel has welcomed the interventions of the United States, its long-standing ally, promising to send negotiators to ceasefire and hostage release talks backed by the US, Qatar and Egypt.