High stakes at Beijing summit as Xi and Trump talk Taiwan and Iran

As two more ships are attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and the ceasefire in Lebanon nears its end, all eyes are on the high-stakes US-China summit in Beijing.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping say they agree that Iran must not have nuclear weapons and that the Strait must be reopened - but what does that mean in practice?

Ahmed Aboudouh, Associate Fellow for Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House, joins Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan and explains how Beijing’s complex relationship with Tehran and the Gulf monarchies will inform its approach to the war.

Highlights

What Beijing really wants from the Iran crisis
The balancing act between Tehran and the Gulf states

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan

Ahmed Aboudouh, Chatham House @AAboudouh

CONTENT REFERENCED:

China ‘secretly planning to ship arms to Iran’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/13/china-weapons-deal-iran/

China will benefit from the Iran war, regardless of any deal between Trump and Tehran

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/china-will-benefit-iran-war-regardless-any-deal-between-trump-and-tehran

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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