US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened the final day of their Beijing summit with the war in Iran increasingly taking center stage over the trade disputes and technology tensions that had originally been expected to dominate the meeting between the world\u2019s two largest powers.<\/p>\n
Meeting on May 15 at Zhongnanhai, the tightly guarded leadership compound of the Chinese Communist Party, the two leaders entered their final round of talks after a first day defined by public displays of goodwill and a growing convergence around the economic risks posed by the war in Iran. Trump told reporters that he and Xi discussed trade, Iran, and “a lot of other things.”<\/p>\n
China\u2019s Foreign Ministry said on May 15 that Beijing supports continuing the fragile cease-fire around Iran and that it has been \u201cworking tirelessly\u201d to help end the war while seeking to play a \u201cconstructive role\u201d in future peace negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe maritime routes should be reopened as soon as possible,\u201d the ministry added, referring to shipping disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that normally carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies.<\/p>\n
The comments came after Trump said in a Fox News interview recorded in Beijing that Xi offered to help broker a deal with Tehran, agreed that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons, and vowed to not provide military equipment to Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think China wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon either,\u201d Trump said. \u201cHe would like to see an end.\u201d<\/p>\n
The war in Iran has rapidly reshaped the summit\u2019s agenda, transforming what was expected to center on trade and technology into a broader effort to manage the economic and geopolitical fallout from the conflict. Washington is pressing Beijing to use its leverage over Tehran to help end the war, while China is balancing its close ties with Iran against growing concerns over energy supplies and global growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeijing agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open and that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. Those rhetorical commitments cost China very little,\u201d Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told RFE\/RL. \u201cThe harder test is whether Beijing pressures Tehran, curbs Chinese purchases of Iranian oil, or helps Washington turn general language into observable outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran War Reshapes The Summit<\/p>\n
Trump has repeatedly insisted the United States does not need China\u2019s help to resolve the conflict.<\/p>\n
Before departing Washington earlier this week, he warned the cease-fire was on \u201cmassive life support” and in a Truth Social post early on May 15, Trump also hinted US military operations against Iran could resume, writing that the \u201cmilitary decimation of Iran\u201d was \u201cto be continued!\u201d<\/p>\n
Beijing, meanwhile, has carefully avoided directly criticizing Washington while portraying itself as a supporter of diplomacy and regional stability.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It is] in China’s self-interest to see the situation calm down in the Middle East,\u201d Dali Yang, a professor of Chinese politics at the University of Chicago, told RFE\/RL. \u201cSo strategically, I’m pretty sure there is almost an agreement [on Iran], more or less, although clearly China did express opposition to the war.\u201d<\/p>\n
China remains Iran\u2019s largest oil customer and one of Tehran\u2019s closest economic partners, but it also has strong incentives to avoid a prolonged conflict that could further disrupt supply chains and weigh on global demand.<\/p>\n