May 15, 2026
When US President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week he is expected to ask for help resolving his costly and unpopular war with Iran.
He is unlikely to get the support he wants.
Analysts said that while Xi might agree to nudge Iran's leaders back to the negotiating table, China's leader will be reluctant to cut economic support for Beijing's most important partner in the Middle East or to stop supplying it with the dual-use goods its military needs.
Trump, for his part, has powerful tools to pressure China - including the threat of sanctions against major Chinese banks - but using those levers could come at an unacceptably high cost for the United States.
