China’s growing involvement in Middle East tensions is offering Beijing an opportunity to position itself as a strategic player as President Donald Trump weighs his next diplomatic moves with Iran.
Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to discuss how China is leveraging its relationship with Iran to project influence while signaling goodwill ahead of a potential high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump.
Recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz highlight the depth of coordination between Beijing and Tehran, particularly as Iran pushes for transactions in Chinese currency, a shift that could challenge the dominance of the U.S. dollar in global energy markets.
Chang pointed to China’s broader role in sustaining Iran’s position, noting that Beijing has provided extensive support short of direct military involvement.
“Of course, they’ve been supporting Iran across the board, except for soldiers, sailors and pilots, but everything else,” Chang said.
At the same time, China is attempting to cast itself as a diplomatic intermediary. Chang said Beijing played a limited role in recent ceasefire efforts, but emphasized the strategic intent behind that involvement.
“It did play a small mediating role in the ceasefire… But the point is, China wanted to show that it was a mediator, show power, because President Trump is scheduled to go to the Chinese capital May 14th… So they want goodwill,” Chang said.
The maneuvering underscores how China is balancing influence and optics, using diplomacy to strengthen its position as tensions in the region continue to evolve.
