China prepares for summit under shadow of Israel-Gaza war

China prepared on Monday to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence.On Monday Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov flew into Beijing and within hours held talks with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Putin — whose strategic dependence on China has only grown since his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine thrust his country into international isolation — is expec