Less than two months into this year, the U.S. has invaded Venezuela and launched military strikes on Iran. The former's leader is in U.S. custody, while Iran's supreme leader was killed on the first day of the strikes. Many pundits say these events hurt China diplomatically. China has worked hard in these countries since the Belt and Road Initiative began in 2013. They are some of the few foreign strategic outposts China has nurtured to enhance its influence and presence in their respective regions. The impact on China is not just its lost stature and influence in these regions; it involves whether U.S. President Donald Trump’s March 31 visit to China will yield actual benefits because of the messages embedded in these attacks. On March 5, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called 2026 a “big year” for U.S.-China relations at a National People’s Congress press conference. Wang expects relations to improve with a series of high-level meetings expected this year. However, Chinese expectations may have been dashed by the U.S. military actions. As China desires to safeguard its str