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When President Donald Trump meeting with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, a new item will be added to the long list of issues of mutual interest and potential tension between the United States and China: the Iran war.
US officials say China should play a bigger role in forcing Iran to reopen Hormuz RiverBut experts say Beijing will need approval from the US, perhaps from Taiwan, if it is to help solve the problem.
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And Iran is unlikely to top the list The Trump-Xi meeting.
“The issue of Iran is not a big issue for any group at this conference,” said Christopher Heurlin, an associate professor of government and Asian studies at Bowdoin College.
Heurlin said that, although the meeting was delayed earlier this year due to the war, Taiwan will remain a major issue for China, when Trump will pressure Beijing to buy more. US soybeans.
China is a major importer of Iranian and Middle Eastern oil, so its economy could be threatened by Tehran’s blockade of Hormuz and the US blockade of Iran.
However, Heurlin said Beijing does not want to get involved in the crisis.
“As far as Iran is concerned, the Chinese have been positioning themselves as potential allies in this matter,” he said.
“They received the Iranian foreign minister recently, but it seems like they are trying to force Iran to end the conflict, and just wait for the visit.”
Trump ‘punished’
Although Beijing has discovered oil reserves that have helped to overcome the global energy shortage, such resources are limited, so China is keen to open the way.
At the same time, if Washington – Beijing’s main rival – is weakened in the world because of the Iran conflict, which is seen as a war. an unwinnable battle for many viewers.
The Economist magazine summed up the content on its front cover last month, with a picture of Xi looking at Trump and the words of Napoleon Bonaparte: “Don’t interrupt your enemy when he makes a mistake.”
Inderjeet Parmar, professor of international politics at City St George’s, University of London, said Trump is going to China “punished” by the weaknesses of the Iran war.
“So Trump is going there sometime,” Parmar told Al Jazeera.
“They need China’s help to open the Strait of Hormuz. China needs the Strait of Hormuz to open for its own reasons – oil and energy from Iran and so on.
Trump said before leaving for China on Tuesday that he it is not needed Xi’s support for Iran, saying the conflict is “under control”.
However, US petrol prices are rising as well to encourage inflationnegotiations have been suspended, and Mr. Trump popularity is decliningthe war appears to be depriving the Republican president of domestic and international responsibilities.
Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to intervene in the crisis.
“The attack from Iran has closed the way. We are opening it again. So I am asking China to join us in supporting the international effort,” said Bessent.
He also said that China is the main supplier of Iran’s oil, accusing Beijing of “supporting the biggest terrorist regime”, referring to Tehran.
“Let’s see them step up and negotiate and get the Iranians to open the way,” he said.
China plan
William Yang, senior Northeast Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said China and the US both want Hormuz to open, but “the way they prefer to achieve this goal is not mutually agreed upon.”
While China has been calling for restraint on all sides, Trump has been to threaten Iran and major military attacks almost every day.
Iran has refused to negotiate directly with the US before Washington lifts its military sanctions.
US military service to reopen Hormuz forcefully, and maintain the blockade of Iranian ports, earlier this month was short-lived, ending in less than 48 hours without traffic congestion.
“Washington knows that it may need Beijing’s help to bring Iran back to the talks, but it also knows the implications of asking for help from Beijing to break the deadlock, because it would mean giving China priority in the bilateral relationship,” Yang told Al Jazeera.
“As a result, Trump has been trying to force Iran to accept the US’s coercive offer, threatening to resume bombing if Tehran does not accept his demands.”
In April, Xi proposed “four policies to protect and promote peace and stability in the Middle East”:
- Commitment to peaceful coexistence
- To respect the sovereignty of the country
- Commitment to international law
- Supporting “the right way of development and security”
Although not clear, the proposal reflects a multi-national interest and dialogue in contrast to Trump’s reliance on military power to advance his agenda in the region.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchilast week.
“China believes that a complete cessation of hostilities is of the utmost importance, that resumption of hostilities is unacceptable, and that adherence to dialogue is of the utmost importance,” Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said after the meeting.
“China supports Iran in safeguarding sovereignty and national security, and appreciates Iran’s willingness to find a political solution through diplomatic means.”
At the same time, China also called for the restoration of a “normal and secure route” through Hormuz, which seems to contradict Iran’s claim of sovereignty. water systemwhich appeared after the war.
The US-China relationship
China buys oil from Iran despite US sanctions, and Washington has said it is concerned about Beijing’s sale of oil that can be recycled for Tehran’s use.
However, before the war, Iran’s file was more in the competition between the US and China.
Over the past two decades, Washington has seen Beijing as a major global adversary as China’s economy and international and global influence have grown.
During his first term, Trump identified China as a competitor of the US.
“Although the United States wants to continue to cooperate with China, China is using economic incentives and sanctions, lobbying, and military threats to persuade other countries to comply with its political and security demands,” it said in the 2017 US National Security Strategy.
“China’s investment and trade strategies strengthen its global ambitions.”
Former President Joe Biden stepped in when Trump resigned announced Beijing “problems” in Washington.
The US pushed deeper its terms in the Asia Pacific region to counter China’s rise.
As competition grew, relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years over a number of issues: trade practices, sanctions, Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation in Taiwan.
Relations intensified in 2022 when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to Taiwan.
A few months later, there was another problem – Washington accused Beijing of sending a “spy balloon”. A US airline. China insisted the plane was a weather balloon flying over the US.
But since he returned to the White House in January 2025, Trump and his administration have not emphasized much of the energy competition.
Trump’s latest National Security Strategy says the US wants to change its focus on the Western Hemisphere, rather than the Asia Pacific region.
However, tariffs and trade remain a major irritant in the relationship. Iran and Taiwan could escalate tensions.
What would China want?
While Iran sees itself as a regional power and emphasizes its independence from allies and enemies, China has leverage that it can use against Tehran – for example, trade deals.
But if Xi were to help Trump in his push to reopen Hormuz, the aid would not come for free, experts say.
Most important to Beijing is Taiwan, a self-governing island China says like his.
Although the U.S. nominally has a “one China policy”, it has built arms and made trade agreements with Taiwan, while ceasing to recognize the island as a sovereign state.
Mr Trump has also not signed the latest aid package to Taiwan – worth $14bn – which has been approved by Congress.
Parmar, the professor, said China may want to challenge Taiwan’s right to force Iran to reopen Hormuz.
Heurlin also said that China likes to talk about Taiwan.
“They see the Trump administration as a threat or a lobbyist in Taiwan, and in particular, it looks like the Chinese are trying to persuade Trump not to move forward with the arms deal that’s sitting on his desk,” Heurlin told Al Jazeera.
Brian Osgood contributed to this story.
