Will Beijing abandon Iran? – This is what Trump wants…

During a meeting held as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States, US President Donald Trump demanded that China stop providing assistance to Iran.

The fact that the issue was also discussed at the meeting has brought new aspects of Washington-Beijing relations to the fore against the backdrop of regional developments.

But will Xi Jinping accept this?

Commenting on the issue to TodayPress TV, political analyst Anar Isayev said that the key question is not whether Xi Jinping will fully accept Trump’s demand, but rather the extent to which strategic cooperation between China and Iran will continue:

“China’s support for Iran is not in the nature of a direct military alliance. For Beijing, Iran is both a source of energy and an important geopolitical partner in the Middle East. Therefore, it does not appear realistic for Xi Jinping to cut all ties with Iran. A more likely scenario is that China could limit certain forms of assistance to Iran in order to avoid escalating tensions with the United States. Such restrictions could particularly apply to areas that directly involve US sanctions or are viewed by Washington as military support. However, completely halting energy, trade and diplomatic relations would not serve Beijing’s interests.”

The analyst believes that rather than accepting Trump’s demand as it stands, Xi Jinping may opt for a compromise approach: reducing support for Iran or tightening oversight in certain areas, while not abandoning Iran completely.

“That is precisely the key issue: Beijing may pressure Tehran in an effort to improve its relations with Washington, but withdrawing to the point of allowing Iran to fall within the US sphere of influence would constitute a strategic loss for China,” he said.

Giymat Mahir