Mike Johnson says he supports expelling Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick over dozens of ethics violations

April 14, 2026 12:18pm EDT / Fox News

House Speaker Mike Johnson weighs in on expulsion threat facing indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said lawmakers should expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., following the House Ethics Committee finding her guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

3 min

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, an embattled Florida Democrat facing a pending criminal indictment, could be the next member of Congress to face expulsion.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that he would support expelling Cherfilus-McCormick from Congress, citing a bipartisan adjudicatory subcommittee finding her guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations in March.

“The Ethics Committee has gone through all of its processes, and they found some alarming facts,” Johnson said. “I think the facts are indisputable at this point, and so I believe it will be the consensus of this body that she should be expelled.”

The ethics panel’s guilty verdict was the culmination of a yearslong investigation during which the group interviewed hundreds of individuals and reviewed tens of thousands of documents.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a Miami grand jury for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, according to the Department of Justice.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

LAWMAKERS PUT EXPULSION THREATS ATOP HOUSE AGENDA AS RETURN SETS UP HIGH-STAKES WEEK

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has pledged to introduce an expulsion resolution against Cherfilus-McCormick, but he said he would wait until the ethics panel releases its recommended punishment against the Florida Democrat. The group is scheduled to hold a hearing announcing its suggested sanction for Cherfilus-McCormick next week.

Cherfilus-McCormick has continued to deny any wrongdoing and has not signaled that she is considering resigning. The Florida Democrat is also running for re-election ahead of the state’s August primary.

It takes a two-thirds majority to expel a lawmaker, meaning a significant number of Democrats would have to support ousting Cherfilus-McCormick for Steube’s measure to be successful.

Just a handful of Democrats, including Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-Wash., have so far voiced support for Cherfilus-McCormick’s expulsion if she does not step down.

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced plans to resign Monday after both lawmakers faced potential expulsion votes this week. Both men have been accused of sexual misconduct and are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

Johnson said Tuesday it was “the appropriate thing” for both men to resign, citing the allegations against them.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., makes his way to a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

JEFFRIES DECLINES TO BREAK WITH INDICTED DEMOCRAT AFTER ETHICS PANEL’S GUILTY VERDICT

House Democratic leadership has largely stood by Cherfilus-McCormick despite the House Ethics Committee’s findings. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has indicated that he will not comment on Cherfilus-McCormick’s fate until the ethics panel finishes its deliberations.

If Republicans move forward with expelling Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrats could offer a retaliatory measure seeking to oust scandal-ridden Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla.

Mills is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for a range of allegations, including domestic violence and campaign finance violations. He has maintained his innocence and is seeking re-election.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 19, 2026.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he would check the status of the Mills probe.

Cherfilus-McCormick is facing more than five decades in prison for allegedly stealing millions in disaster relief funds to finance her run for Congress and purchase luxury items. She is also accused of participating in a straw donor scheme and conspiring to file a false federal tax return.

Fox News Digital reached out to Cherfilus-McCormick’s office for comment.

Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales officially resign from Congress, avoiding expected expulsion votes

April 14, 2026 / 3:35 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales officially submitted their resignation letters to the House clerk on Tuesday, avoiding expected votes to expel them from Congress over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell has been accused of sexual assault in recent days, allegations that prompted him to end his campaign for governor of California. Gonzales admitted in March to an affair with a subordinate who later died by suicide. He said he would not run for reelection but had declined to resign until the Swalwell allegations brought new attention to misconduct in Congress.

Their colleagues were prepared to move forward with the motions to expel them if their departures were not imminent. Neither Swalwell nor Gonzales gave a timeframe for their departures when they announced their resignations about an hour apart on Monday evening.

Their letters were read on the House floor when the lower chamber reconvened to debate several bills shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

In his letter, Swalwell said he was “deeply sorry” to his family, staff and constituents “for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”

Swalwell vowed to fight the “serious, false allegations” against him, but added that “I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties,” he said.

Swalwell said his resignation was effective as of 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Gonzales’ notice was much shorter, saying his resignation was effective at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

“It has been my privilege to serve the residents of Texas’s 23rd congressional district,” his letter concluded.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/two-swalwell-accusers-share-details-of-congressmans-alleged-misconduct/

Republicans’ big 2026 problem: An unhinged Trump who doesn’t seem to care about them

2026-04-14T19:30:02.195Z / CNN

Analysis by

Aaron Blake

30 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 14, 2026, 3:30 PM ET

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Sunday.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

One of President Donald Trump’s greatest political talents is bending the rest of his party to his will. After the 2024 election, he went into overdrive on that front, claiming his “landslide” victory gave him an “unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

The results don’t indicate that, but the GOP swallowed it whole. Some lawmakers even argued they should relegate themselves to vassals for Trump’s agenda. (“Whatever that is, we need to embrace it,” Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas said. “All of it. Every single word.”)

But that might not have been the wisest strategy for Republicans hoping to keep their seats in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump has used that wide latitude to say seemingly whatever he pleases and to pursue policies that the American people decidedly dislike, most recently with the Iran war.

It’s almost as if he doesn’t care that what he’s doing could torpedo the GOP’s hopes in less than seven months — because Congress doesn’t matter much to his view of power.

Republicans might want to proceed accordingly.

Trump’s unhinged behavior

Trump has always conducted business in his way — he once called it “modern-day presidential.

But as the New York Times’ Peter Baker puts it well, the president’s recent conduct has “turbocharged the crazy-like-a-fox-or-just-plain-crazy debate” that has stalked Trump.

The Iran war is a case in point. Trump launched it without bothering to build a consistent case for it to the American people. The objectives have regularly shifted, and Trump seems unfamiliar with basic details.

He has threatened Iran with apparent war crimes and even warned last week that “a whole civilization will die tonight” — before averting that course.

“Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump said in one missive on Easter Sunday.

He’s also exacerbated a feud with the popular and American-born Pope Leo XIV over the war.

As part of it, he even posted a seemingly blasphemous AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. When even allies started criticizing that, Trump deleted the post and bizarrely claimed he thought the image showed him as a doctor — a contention now the butt of endless social media jokes.

But it’s hardly an isolated incident.

Trump’s behavior continues to push the bounds. He has also in recent months posted extremely callous thoughts after the deaths of two nemeses: Hollywood director Rob Reiner (suggesting the murder victim had instead died from “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME”) and former FBI Director Robert Mueller (“Good, I’m glad he’s dead”).

And the president spent the early part of 2026 engaged in a public but ultimately failed effort to gain control of Greenland, an idea that nearly everyone dismissed as a joke when it was first floated years ago.

The most recent events have led even some former Trump allies — like ex-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, as well as first Trump administration employees Ty Cobb and Stephanie Grisham — to warn that the president is crazy or insane. Some of them and others on the right have even floated the unlikely solution of removing Trump from office using the 25th Amendment.

A majority of Americans seems to notice his behavior too. A recent poll from Reuters and Ipsos showed 61% — and even 3 in 10 Republicans — agreed that Trump has “become erratic with age”. Other polls suggest rising concerns about Trump’s mental acuity, though not to the same extent as with former President Joe Biden a couple years ago.

It’s not just unhinged; most of it is also unpopular

If Republicans skeptical of the Iran war thought Trump might back down amid rising gas prices at home and declining poll numbers, they might want to think again. On Monday, the US began a blockade of Iranian ports.

And while there could soon be another round of US-Iran peace talks, Trump made clear before last weekend’s negotiations that his militarism wasn’t going anywhere. “Our great military is loading up and resting, looking forward, actually, to its next conquest,” Trump said, without specifying what that would be.

He’s repeatedly floated forcing regime change in Cuba, saying he could “do anything I want” with the island. If that happened, it would be the third “conquest” in just a few months in 2026, after the US ousted and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

This is a pattern with Trump. Nearly all of the major policies he’s pursued have been rather predictably unpopular. The Iran war polled very poorly before it began but so did Trump’s tariffs, his big agenda bill, his pardons of January 6, 2021, defendants and a series of convicted fraudsters, and much more.

And even when the policies started with more support, the Trump administration’s implementation has often made them more unpopular. That’s been most notably the case with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to popular programs and the administration’s harsh deportation campaign.

Trump’s immigration crackdown, which many Americans long thought was too heavy-handed, blew up after two protesters were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. But the writing had been on the wall for months.

What Republicans do now

It’s not clear that Trump has given up on Republicans in 2026 — and he’s got plenty of reason not to.

If Democrats won the House, they could launch politically dicey investigations of the Trump administration using their subpoena power, for instance. And Republicans would very much like to hold the Senate to fill any Supreme Court vacancies.

But Trump certainly seems to care more about doing what he wants in the time he has left in office rather than the political consequences for his party.

And even if Republicans conclude that the president doesn’t have their best interests at heart, their options for keeping him in check are limited.

Some of them are starting to stand up for their legislative prerogatives and push back on certain administration actions they don’t like. On the war, for example, some Republicans have signaled they won’t agree to the administration’s requested $200 billion funding package. But that’s a far cry from truly limiting Trump’s authority to prosecute the war.

And even if more in the party embraced Greene’s view that Trump has lost it, it’s nearly unthinkable that enough Republicans would back impeachment or using the 25th Amendment.

What could be telling is if more Republicans — especially those who fear for their careers — start to carve more distance from Trump.

His poll numbers are hitting new lows, in some cases even worse than after January 6. He’s alienated a large swath of 2024 Trump voters. And Democrats are over-performing in special elections, like the one for Greene’s old seat last week, by larger margins than ever in the Trump era.

It’s been nearly a decade since Sen. Lindsey Graham, now a Trump ally, posted his infamous tweet.

“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it,” the South Carolina Republican said.

Fast forward to 2026, and the GOP has a bad situation that, like Graham previewed, it can see coming: A president who is more emboldened than ever to do whatever he wants — which is regularly hurting his party.

The question is increasingly whether Republicans can do anything about it — or even convince Trump to try.

3月2日，真主党攻击以色列后，黎巴嫩被卷入这场伊朗战争。以色列之后对黎巴嫩发动多轮袭击，至今造成逾2000人死亡、超过100万人流离失所。 （法新社）

以色列和黎巴嫩政府代表星期二在美国首都华盛顿举行会谈。包括英国在内的17国外交部长发表联合声明，呼吁两国“把握这一机会”。

法新社报道，英国外交部星期二（4月14日）公布的这份联合声明说，“直接谈判可为黎巴嫩、以色列以及整个地区带来持久的安全铺平道路”。

声明呼吁，“各方紧急缓和局势，并抓住美伊停火所带来的机会”。

这份声明由英国、澳大利亚以及法国、比利时、荷兰、西班牙等欧洲国家外长签署，但德国、奥地利、匈牙利和意大利并未加入签署。

在美国国务卿鲁比奥的斡旋下，以色列和黎巴嫩星期二进行数十年来首次直接会谈。

3月2日，真主党攻击以色列后，黎巴嫩被卷入这场伊朗战争。之后，以色列对黎巴嫩发动多轮袭击，包括4月8日对贝鲁特的一次猛烈空袭，至今造成逾2000人死亡、超过100万人流离失所。

声明说，签署国“以最强烈措辞谴责”真主党对以色列的攻击，以及“以色列对黎巴嫩的大规模空袭”。

各国也表示，欢迎黎巴嫩总统奥恩推动开启直接对话的倡议，并“准备支持”相关讨论。

奥恩周二发声明说：“我希望在华盛顿举行的这次会议……能标志着黎巴嫩人民，特别是南部民众所遭受的苦难走向终结的开端。”

美国总统特朗普的儿子埃里克（Eric Trump）将在5月陪同父亲访问中国。图为父子俩4月10日交谈。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普的儿子埃里克将在5月陪同父亲访问中国。

埃里克（Eric Trump）的发言人星期二（4月14日）告诉路透社，埃里克和他的妻子劳拉很荣幸能陪同特朗普进行国事访问。

发言人说，埃里克为父亲和本届任期的成就深感自豪，他也将以支持父亲的儿子这一个人身份参与。

发言人称：“他在中国没有商业投资，也没有在中国做生意的计划。他不会参加任何私人会晤，而是会与总统纪念这一历史性时刻。”

称伊朗来电望达成协议 特朗普：核问题是阻碍谈判症结

2026年4月14日 23:48 / 联合早报

伊朗在美国和以色列一个多月的轰炸中，遭受严重的破坏与人员伤亡。图为伊朗首都德黑兰早前被炸成废墟的一栋民居楼前，摆放着遇难者的照片。 （法新社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国总统特朗普称，美国接到了伊朗打来的电话，对方表示非常希望达成和平协议。不过，特朗普指出，谈判症结在于核问题，如果伊朗不同意将浓缩铀交给美国，那就没有协议可言。

美国和伊朗上周末的停火谈判以失败告终，但特朗普星期一（4月13日）在白宫对记者说：“我可以告诉你们，对方已经给我们打电话了。他们想达成协议，非常非常想。”

他只说打电话的是“伊朗代表”，没说究竟是哪些官员。

特朗普坚称，美伊谈判的症结是核问题，美国首先要做的是收回伊朗的浓缩铀。“我们同意了很多事情，但他们不同意这一点，不过我认为他们最终会同意的。我几乎可以肯定。事实上，我非常肯定。如果他们不同意，那就没有协议，永远不会有协议。”

特朗普早前恫言，美伊的两周停火在4月21日到期，如果在这之前未能达成协议，伊朗不会有好下场。

美国媒体星期一报道，上周六（11日）在巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡举行的谈判中，美国要求伊朗暂停铀浓缩活动20年，换取解除制裁。隔天，伊方回应称最多只能暂停五年，特朗普断然拒绝。

美国官员称，美方曾要求伊朗将高浓缩铀运出境外，但伊方坚持留在境内，不过愿意大幅稀释这些核燃料。

一名官员告诉美国有线电视新闻网（CNN），美伊的谈判仍在进行，双方都在努力寻求外交途径来结束战争。

美国副总统万斯接受福克斯新闻台采访时则说，美国和伊朗已经就停战明确划定红线，目前球在伊朗那一边，关键是伊朗能否展现足够的灵活性。

彭博社引述消息人士报道，美伊正在商讨，争取于暂时停火到期前再举行一轮面对面谈判，以达成更长期的停火协议。第二轮谈判的方案之一是重返伊斯兰堡，但也讨论了其他地点。

消息说，土耳其和埃及在调停美伊停火的外交努力中发挥了作用，因此美伊如果再举行谈判，这些国家也可能提供场地。

伊朗或促胡塞武装封锁红海航道报复

至于全球深切关注的霍尔木兹海峡通行问题，《华尔街日报》引述阿拉伯官员报道，沙特阿拉伯努力敦促美国放弃封锁霍尔木兹海峡并重返谈判桌，以免伊朗被迫采取行动使冲突升级，扰乱其他重要航运通道。

这些官员说，沙特警告，伊朗可能通过封锁连接红海和亚丁湾的曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandeb）进行报复。这条红海航道对沙特的石油出口至关重要。

霍尔木兹海峡虽被封锁，沙特却可通过陆地管道将原油向西输送至红海，使它的石油出口恢复到战前水平，约每日700万桶，因此它不能让红海的出口通道也被封锁。

伊朗的盟友、也门胡塞武装控制着曼德海峡的大片海岸线，它在加沙战争期间阻断了这条水道。阿拉伯官员透露，伊朗正在向胡塞武装施压，要他们再次封锁这一咽喉要道。

与伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队关系密切的半官方通讯社塔斯尼姆（Tasnim）称，如果美国封锁霍尔木兹海峡，伊朗可能关闭红海通道。

美军星期一说，它在霍尔木兹海峡的封锁范围，将向东延伸至阿曼湾和阿拉伯海，不过包括粮食、医药品和其他基本必需品的人道援助运输在接受检查后将获放行。

遭美封锁港口 伊朗批美严重侵犯主权

同日，伊朗常驻联合国代表伊拉瓦尼致函联合国秘书长古特雷斯，抨击美国封锁伊朗港口严重侵犯伊朗主权，严重违反国际海洋法的基本原则。

古特雷斯随后呼吁各方尊重在霍尔木兹海峡的航行自由。联合国粮食及农业组织也促请各国，不要限制能源和化肥运输，并警告，这类限制过去曾导致全球粮价飙升。

法国能源巨头道达尔能源（TotalEnergies）总裁普亚内也说，霍尔木兹海峡复航，即使须支付通行费，对全球市场来说至关重要。

王毅：中俄关系不畏浮云遮望眼

2026年4月14日 23:33 / 联合早报

中国外长王毅星期二（4月14日）与赴华访问的俄罗斯外长拉夫罗夫会面时，形容中俄两国关系“不畏浮云遮望眼”。

中国外交部官网公布，王毅在北京与拉夫罗夫会谈。王毅说，当前国际局势剧烈动荡，单边霸权危害加重，全球治理体系面临深刻调整，人类和平发展事业遭受严峻挑战。

王毅也说，面对复杂多变的外部环境，在中国国家主席习近平和俄国总统普京亲自关心和战略引领下，中俄关系“不畏浮云遮望眼”，各领域合作“千磨万击还坚劲”。双方在国际舞台相互协调，相互呼应，向全世界表明逆流之中仍有正道、变局之下更有担当。

王毅指出，今年是中俄战略协作伙伴关系建立30周年和《中俄睦邻友好合作条约》签署25周年，也是中国“十五五”（2026年至2030年）开局之年。他说，中俄双方要把握历史契机，顺应时代大势，全面落实两国元首达成的重要共识，推动中俄战略协作伙伴关系和各领域互利合作向更高水平发展。

中国外交部也说，双方就筹备年内两国元首会晤进行沟通对表，并就美伊冲突、亚太局势、乌克兰危机等共同关心的国际和地区问题深入交换意见。会谈后，双方共同签署两国外交部2026年磋商计划。

俄国卫星通讯社报道，拉夫罗夫指西方国家正计划建立一个吸纳基辅政权的新侵略性军事集团，并将其矛头直接对准俄罗斯。

拉夫罗夫也说，西方在台湾问题上并未停止危险的游戏，同时还在朝鲜半岛周边制造紧张局势。

他说：“谈到欧亚大陆的东部，这里同样存在着十分危险的游戏。无论是在台湾问题、南中国海问题上，还是在朝鲜半岛局势上，紧张局势都在不断升级。而那些长期以来一直是合作与睦邻友好的空间，即以东盟（亚细安）为中心的空间，有人试图通过建立小多边封闭排他机制来将其破坏，以遏制中华人民共和国和俄罗斯联邦。中俄两国都与这一最重要的地区、与欧亚大陆的这一重要部分接壤。”

特朗普：美伊谈判或未来两天于巴基斯坦重启

2026年4月14日 23:56 / 联合早报

特朗普：美伊谈判或未来两天于巴基斯坦重启

4月11日，美国总统特朗普从白宫南草坪出发，在登上海军陆战队一号前与记者交谈。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普星期二暗示，美国和伊朗的谈判可能在未来两天于巴基斯坦重启。

特朗普星期二（4月14日）就美伊和谈前景接受《纽约邮报》采访时说：“你最好留在那里，因为未来两天可能会发生一些事情，而且我们更倾向于去那里。”

他说，陆军参谋长穆尼尔在谈判中做得“非常出色”。“他太棒了，因此我们更有可能重返那里。”

阿联酋、俄罗斯、西班牙、越南高层同步访华为哪般？

2026年4月14日 23:57 / 联合早报

中国国家主席习近平（右）星期二（4月14日）在北京人民大会堂与到访的阿联酋阿布扎比王储哈立德（左）会面。 （新华社）

在伊朗战事持续、霍尔木兹海峡未解封的大背景下，俄罗斯、阿联酋、西班牙和越南高层几乎同步展开访华行程。受访学者均认为，这反映各方希望中国在缓和局势、推动和平方面扮演更积极角色，并对伊朗施加更大压力。但中国学者认为，缓解中东危机的钥匙在美国手里。

美国和以色列2月底联手袭击伊朗，伊朗为报复而攻击其他海湾国家的美军设施，阿联酋遭池鱼之殃，而且是受伊朗袭击最严重的海湾国家，能源设施、工业基地、民用设施等被攻击，其中还包含中国融资设施。彭博社报道，位于阿联酋迪拜、卡塔尔和阿曼至少三处的中国融资基础设施资产，成伊朗打击目标。

阿联酋既是美国在中东的传统盟友，也与中国建立全面战略伙伴关系，是中国在阿拉伯世界最大的投资目的地、非石油贸易伙伴和出口市场。2024年，中国对阿联酋直接投资流量7.7亿美元，涉能源、金融、科技、基础设施等领域。

在中东战火持续的当下，阿联酋阿布扎比王储哈立德星期天（4月12日）起，应中国总理李强邀请到中国访问三天，引人关注。

阿联酋由七个酋长国组成，阿布扎比是首都，阿布扎比王储是未来总统的指定继承人。海湾新闻报道，在哈立德访华时，阿中双方签署了24项协议，旨在扩大贸易、投资和行业合作。

新华社报道，李强星期一与哈立德会面时强调，希望阿联酋继续采取有力措施，“保障在阿中国公民、机构和项目安全”。

就促进中东和平稳定

习近平提出四点主张

中国国家主席习近平星期二与哈立德会面时，则就维护和促进中东和平稳定提出四点主张：一、坚持和平共处原则。推动构建共同、综合、合作、可持续的中东和海湾地区安全架构。二、坚持国家主权原则。中东海湾国家主权、安全和领土完整应当得到切实尊重，各国人员、设施、机构安全应当得到切实维护。三、坚持国际法治原则。不能“合则用、不合则弃”，不能让世界倒回丛林法则。四、坚持统筹发展和安全。

新华社引述哈立德说，阿联酋致力于同中国保持密切沟通协调，促进相关方面停火止战，尽快恢复地区和平稳定，维护国际航运安全，防止对全球经济和能源安全造成更大影响。

习近平同一天在与西班牙首相桑切斯会面时强调，当今世界乱象丛生，面临公理和强权的较量；反对世界倒退回丛林法则，共同捍卫真正的多边主义。

法新社报道，桑切斯会后在记者会上表示，中国可在解决中东战争上发挥重要作用。西班牙是反对美以军事行动立场最坚定的欧洲国家之一，甚至还对涉伊朗战争的美国战机关闭领空。

俄罗斯外长拉夫罗夫应中国外长王毅的邀请，星期二也抵达北京访问。俄罗斯是伊朗重要伙伴，双方据报军事合作密切，拉夫罗夫此行被视为意在同北京就伊朗局势加强协调。 伊朗战争2月底开打后，王毅对外联系的第一通电话就是打给拉夫罗夫。

越共总书记、国家主席苏林也在星期二开始访华，重点相信在深化能源合作。霍尔木兹海峡被封，搅乱全球能源供应链，导致越南国内油价飞涨，迫切需要开拓更多供应源。

新加坡南洋理工大学公共政策与全球事务副教授骆明辉向《联合早报》分析，任何国家领导人和高官此时访问中国，肯定触及两个议题：霍尔木兹海峡封堵造成能源危机，以及呼吁中国在缓解中东冲突上扮演更积极角色。

他也说，伊朗打击阿联酋能源与关键设施，实际上对中国利益造成很大冲击，哈立德此行旨在争取中国向伊朗加大施压。

上海国际问题研究院中东研究中心主任金良祥则认为，中东战争对包括阿联酋在内的海湾国家造成巨大经济冲击，阿联酋经济对外依赖度高，霍尔木兹海峡被封锁，国家财政收入会大减，哈立德访华显然寄希望于中国在劝和促谈方面发挥更大作用。

但金良祥强调：“缓解当前危机的钥匙在美国手里”， 这当中有两大关键，一是美国能否约束以色列的行为？二是美国能否给伊朗看到希望，比如取消制裁？

欧盟星期一同意延长现有的钢铁进口限制措施，并将每年的配额大减47%至1830吨，超额部分的关税率则倍增至50%。收紧限制措施旨在提升欧盟钢铁产能利用率。图为德国杜伊斯堡的一座钢铁厂。 （路透社）

（布鲁塞尔综合电）欧盟达成初步协议，将钢铁进口量削减近半，并对超额进口加倍征收50%关税，以保护本土钢铁业免受廉价中国进口涌入的冲击。

欧盟政府与国会代表于星期一（4月13日）晚间同意，延长现有的钢铁进口限制措施，将每年的配额大减47%至1830万吨，超额部分的关税率则倍增至50%。

新的配额和关税率旨在将欧盟钢铁产能利用率从目前的65%提升至80%。1830万吨的免税进口配额是欧盟在2013年的进口总量。欧盟认为，市场就是在那年之后，受主要来自中国的过剩产能影响而失衡。

欧盟钢铁进口限制是在2018年美国总统特朗普首个任内制定，不过根据世界贸易组织条例，政策须在八年后，即今年6月30日终止。

欧盟委员会说，本土钢铁业自2008年以来已流失约10万个就业岗位，如果不延长限制措施，产量还会进一步下降。

延伸阅读

中国外交部：若美方借口对华加征关税 中方必将坚决反制
企发局在奥斯汀设首个非沿海中心 助新美企业加深贸易和创新合作

新措施适用于欧盟以及冰岛、列支敦士登和挪威以外所有国家的进口，对进口的定义也收紧，把钢铁最初的熔炼地点纳入考量。新措施也会定期检讨更新，避免被钻漏洞。

欧盟也承诺尽快在2028年9月淘汰俄罗斯进口的钢铁，它去年共从俄罗斯进口了370万吨的扁钢坯。