China in the Mideast

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (C) waves as he returns to his car after visiting the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, on October 12, 2024. At least 22 people were killed in Israeli strikes on a densely populated area of central Beirut on October 10, the Lebanese health ministry said, with a security source saying a Hezbollah figure was the target. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Speaker, negotiator, China envoy: What Ghalibaf's accumulated powers mean for Iran

Iran's appointment of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to oversee the China relationship demonstrates his ability to operate across Iran's fractured institutional landscape and produce political outcomes.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Ships navigate the Bosphorus Strait on May 02, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, forcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and together with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, global shipping routes have been severely impacted. Soaring shipping costs, lengthening delivery times and less efficient routes have seen increased pressure on energy markets and supply chains worldwide. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Turkey sees opportunity in Hormuz crisis to boost Middle Corridor

Ankara seeks to exploit transport disruptions from the Iran, Ukraine wars to push the corridor, but high costs, logistical bottlenecks and South Caucasus politics pose obstacles.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Iranian cargo trucks cross into the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, Balochistan province, on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

Analysis

Pakistan’s six corridors offer Iran a trade lifeline, could outlast Hormuz crisis

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

trump xi

Analysis

Why China didn’t hand Trump a breakthrough on Iran

Trump's landmark three-day visit to China — the first for a US president since 2017 — included plenty of fanfare, flattery and awkward selfies but failed to produce deals or breakthroughs on Iran.

Joyce Karam

By Rosaleen Carroll , Joyce Karam

Latest News

Analysis

Iran looms large over Trump’s China visit, but breakthrough unlikely

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (C) is escorted by China's Vice President Han Zheng (R) upon his arrival at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Joyce Karam

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

UAE, China discuss 'outstanding friendship' in call

China is working on improving its relations with Gulf states, primarily focusing on development.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Chinese-operated port opens in Israel despite American concerns

The Biden administration is relaying to Jerusalem the same fears expressed by former US administrations over Chinese investments in Israel.

Laboratory workers fill boxes with vials of China's Sinovac vaccine against the coronavirus, produced by the Egyptian company VACSERA, in the capital, Cairo, on Sept. 1, 2021.

Egypt to receive Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses

Only around 6% of Egypt is vaccinated against COVID-19, though confirmed cases remain relatively low.

This picture shows containers and cranes on a dock of Haifa port, Israel, June 24, 2021.

Israel opens Chinese-run terminal at Haifa port

Biden's CIA director raised concerns about Beijing's growing investment in Israel, according to a report.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Afghan chaos further incentive for India’s efforts to strengthen ties with Iran

The recent rise of the Taliban in Kabul has expedited New Delhi's efforts to boost ties with Iran, which is positioned to be India's main corridor to Afghanistan, yet major challenges remain.

Idlib protest

New UN report on Islamic State gives Ankara another headache

Security Council report red flags Uyghur diaspora in Turkey as a recruitment source for jihadi networks in Syria and Afghanistan.

Iraqi workers walk at the Halfaya oil field near the southern city of Amara on Dec. 12, 2009.

Chinese oil companies fill void in Iraq

As major Western oil companies reconsider their positions in Iraq, China is seizing the opportunities offered by their departure.

Sameh Shoukry and Wang Yi

Is China ready to intervene in Nile dam crisis?

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry briefed his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the latest developments in the Grand Ethiopian Dam crisis — a move that observers believe is aimed at pushing Beijing to pressure Addis Ababa on the dam negotiations.

International humanitarian aid trucks cross into Syria's northwestern Idlib province through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on Sept. 7, 2020.

Biden administration not trading Syrian oil for aid corridors with Moscow

The Biden administration said Syrian oil is for the people of Syria, not for the United States.

A large billboard carries a message encouraging people to take part in a voluntary free vaccination campaign against COVID-19 outside the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center in the capital, Manama, on Dec. 24, 2020.

Bahraini prisoner's death from COVID-19 prompts protests

Husain Barakat received China's Sinopharm vaccine but died anyway after contracting the coronavirus in prison.

China's President Xi Jinping (C) speaks during a meeting with delegates of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization security secretary summit at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China, May 22, 2018.

China-Iran cooperation goes slow in context of nuclear talks

Beijing and Tehran are deepening ties across sectors, but progress will depend on the Vienna talks and Iran’s elections.

MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt turns to China for water advice amid Nile dam crisis

Egypt is looking to China for expertise on water management as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis continues to threaten its water supply.