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.

The Karnak Temple in Upper Egypt's ancient city of Luxor is pictured on March 1, 2020 with the Chinese flag in solidarity with the Chinese people amidst a world outbreak of COVID-19.

Egyptian-Chinese cooperation extends to education, space

Egyptian-Chinese cooperation is growing, most recently evidenced by an agreement to teach the Chinese language in Egyptian schools.

In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, Representatives of the European Union, Iran and others attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 15, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Saudi Arabia, Iran held direct talks in bid to ease tensions

Talks between the two countries were organized by Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (L) welcomes his Sudanese counterpart, Abdalla Hamdok, upon his arrival in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on March 11, 2021. Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been locked for almost a decade in inconclusive talks over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, which broke ground in 2011.

The Takeaway: Sudan not occupying Ethiopian territory, says Sudan’s ambassador to US

Highlights of our exclusive interview with Nureldin Satti, Sudan’s ambassador to the United States; quick takes on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait and China; and Gaza’s shelter for stray dogs!

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng (R) meets Kuwaiti first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L) at the Great Hall of the People on Dec. 17, 2018, in Beijing, China.

Kuwait, China seek to diversify via Belt and Road Initiative

Kuwait has been working on diversifying its national economy in light of economic variables, so it has made efforts to bolster cooperative ties with several partners like China and others to serve Kuwait Vision 2035.

DONT USE - Gulf Pulse

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (back-L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (back-R) attend a signing ceremony ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 13, 2017.

China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea.

In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)on June 28, 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea.

US aircraft carrier returns to Middle East as Suez Canal opens

The USS Eisenhower arrives in the Gulf region as the Biden administration kicks off indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (C), sign an agreement in the capital Tehran, on March 27, 2021.

Zarif throws full weight behind contentious Iran-China deal

Iran’s foreign minister went to lengths to reject criticism and justify a long-term deal with China, which many Iranians fear is a package of concessions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (R), in the capital Tehran, on March 27, 2021. - Iran and China signed what state television called a "25-year strategic cooperation pact" on today as the US rivals move closer together. The agreement, which has been kept almost entirely under wraps, was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Wang Yi, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Takeaway: China moves to elevate its role in Middle East, but faces odds

Also: Bibi ignored on Iran; Nile dam mediation; the UAE and Somaliland; Russia and Saudi Arabia; Turkey and Uighurs; the kingdom’s night lights; and more!

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

A Palestinian worker unloads a shipment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in the West Bank city of Nablus, on March 29, 2021.

Palestinian Authority receives more vaccine doses from China

The Palestinian territories as a whole have received more than 100,000 coronavirus vaccine doses from a variety of sources so far.

Chinese Ambassador Guo Wei (L) and Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila bump elbows during the unloading of a shipment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 29, 2021.

Palestinians welcome Chinese peace initiative

China, which has a limited role in Middle East peace-making and security, has proposed a five-point initiative to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, including a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Beijing.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, are pictured during the signing of an agreement in the capital, Tehran, on March 27, 2021. Iran and China signed what state television called a "25-year strategic cooperation pact," as the US rivals move closer together.

Can China balance ties with Iran and the GCC?

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi must take care not to "underestimate the differences" between Iran and the GCC countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, addresses supporters at the party campaign headquarters in Jerusalem early on March 24, 2021, after the end of voting in the fourth national election in two years.

With Netanyahu vulnerable, Israel again ignored by Washington on Iran

Knowing he is politically vulnerable, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is silent on Washington’s intention to return to the nuclear deal with Tehran.