West Asia CHANGES Forever. The New China-Iran Relationship | Sheng Zhang

Description

Today I speak again with Sheng Zhang, visiting fellow at Koç University’s Center for Asian Studies, on China’s changing view of Iran after the war, Beijing’s split between Iran and the Gulf states, military lessons from Iranian strategy, the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s Beijing visit, and the wider message for US bases, trust, and power in West Asia and East Asia. Links: Achilles’ Heel Self-Contradictions in the BRI’s Middle East Agendas Aggravate Limitations of the Iran-China Partnership https://preprint.press.jhu.edu/anp/sites/default/files/Asian%20Perspective_preprint_Sheng%20Zhang_%28Spring%202026%29.pdf Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com (Opt in for Academic Section from your profile settings: https://pascallottaz.substack.com/s/academic) Merch: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourthwall.com Donation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donate Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:20 China sees Iran in a new light 00:09:29 Iranian unity and wartime resolve 00:13:16 China between Iran and Gulf states 00:21:25 Military lessons from the Iran war 00:29:31 Hormuz shipping and China relations 00:36:33 China’s wider regional message 00:40:24 Trump in Beijing with no real deal 00:56:24 East Asia lessons on US bases 01:05:36 Guest links and upcoming paper