US EditionTrump's Mideast muddle could play into Xi's hands at planned summit
- President Donald Trump has delayed his planned Beijing summit with President Xi Jinping by several weeks. The trip, originally scheduled for late March, was pushed back to address fallout from the Middle East conflict.
- Trump's February decision to join Israel in strikes on Iran fueled regional violence and pushed energy prices to multi-year highs. These actions also seeded global supply fears due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Beijing remains the primary buyer of sanctioned Iranian oil, making it Tehran's "main economic lifeline," according to Henry Tugendhat of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. China also maintains tight control over rare earth exports essential for United States military equipment.
- The prospective summit aims to formalize a tariff truce that Trump and Xi shook hands on in South Korea last October. With traditional allies reluctant to support his Middle East intervention, Trump may seek a diplomatic win in Beijing.
- Analysts warn the US show of force punctured the "illusion of US omnipotence," said Ali Wyne, senior adviser at the International Crisis Group. Meanwhile, Beijing locals remain skeptical, with one noting Trump's tendency to "change his mind.
46 Articles
46 Articles
Analysis by Sylvie Zhuang, CNN: According to several Chinese sources familiar with the matter, President Donald Trump's request to postpone a crucial summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping could benefit Beijing, potentially allowing both sides to avoid complications related to the US war with Iran, China's most important strategic partner in the Middle East. According to experts, if Trump loses control of the conflict, which already threatens oil…
Trump’s Mideast muddle could play into Xi’s hands at planned summit
China will be in a stronger position to extract concessions from Donald Trump when the US president finally visits Beijing after becoming entangled in his Middle East war, analysts say. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting at the Gimhae International Airport terminal, in Busan, South Korea, on October 30, 2025. Photo: The White House, via Flickr. Trump had been due in the Chinese capital at the en…
Trump to praise Japan in China, Xi summit delayed, PLA-Nato talks
US President Donald Trump said he will be “speaking Japan’s praises” when he makes a delayed trip to China, even with the two Asian nations engaged in a long-running dispute over Taiwan. The Beijing visit, including a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been postponed “for about a month and a half”, Trump told reporters in the White House alongside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The US president was due to arrive in China on M…
The war in the Middle East at least strengthens in the short term China's hand vis-à-vis the United States as it approaches a much-anticipated summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, according to experts.
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- 49% of the sources are Center
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