President Donald Trump’s high-stakes trip to China this week comes as the ongoing conflict with Iran threatens to complicate already fragile relations between Washington and Beijing. 
While trade is expected to dominate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. officials are also pressing China to use its leverage over Tehran as the situation escalates.
China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, giving Beijing significant influence at a time when Iran&#8217;s actions in the Strait of Hormuz are impacting global energy markets. Attacks on commercial vessels in the area have raised concerns of broader disruptions.
Following Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi&#8217;s trip to China last week to meet his Chinese counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hopes Beijing will privately pressure Iran to stop threatening shipping routes. 
“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told, and that is that what you are doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;You’re the bad guy in this, you guys should not be blowing up ships, you should not be putting mines, you should not be trying to hold hostage the global economy.”  
Rubio argued that China’s export-driven economy would ultimately suffer if Iran continues disrupting global trade routes and energy flows. 
Despite those concerns, the Trump administration, which had long anticipated this meeting, is walking a fine line to keep the Iran conflict from derailing broader negotiations with Beijing.
Trump sought to downplay the issue shortly before departing for China on Tuesday, telling reporters he expects to discuss “a lot of things” with Xi but does not believe Iran will be a major topic of conversation. Trump added that he has Iran “very much under control.”
Still, administration officials have made clear that they do not want the Iran conflict to overshadow the broader relationship with Beijing.
“We don’t want this to be something that derails the broader relationship or the agreements that might come out of our meeting in Beijing,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said last week, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-iran-sanctions-trade-48b0ca751712ce473ffcd207997928af">according to the Associated Press</a>.
Despite the effort, tensions over Iran have continued to escalate. 
Last week, the State and Treasury Departments announced new sanctions targeting Chinese and Iranian entities accused of supporting Tehran’s military and weapons programs, including firms tied to satellite imagery used in strikes against U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury.
The sanctions targeted companies connected to Iran’s procurement networks for drones and ballistic missile components, with U.S. officials warning the administration is determined to prevent Tehran from rebuilding military capabilities damaged during recent American and Israeli strikes.
Beijing condemned the move as “illegal unilateral pressure” and activated a blocking statute that bars Chinese entities from complying with certain foreign sanctions.
During Araghchi’s trip to Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended Iran’s right to maintain a civilian nuclear energy program. The Trump administration believes Iran has for years sought to pursue a nuclear weapon under the camouflage of a civilian nuclear program.
The economic stakes for Beijing are significant. Roughly 45% to 50% of China’s crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and more than half of China’s crude oil and nearly one-third of its liquefied natural gas imports came from the Middle East in 2025, <a href="https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/implications-of-the-conflict-in-the-middle-east-for-chinas-energy-security/">according to Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy</a>.
Official Chinese government data shows approximately 42% of China’s crude imports come from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. Analysts <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-heavy-reliance-iranian-oil-imports-2026-01-13/">estimate</a> that another 12% comes from Iran, despite Beijing officially reporting no Iranian imports since 2022, as much of the oil travels through Iran’s sanctioned “dark fleet,” which uses disguised shipping methods and falsified tracking data to evade U.S. sanctions.
“Xi is increasingly exposed. China remains heavily dependent on energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz while facing slowing growth, pressure on industrial production, and major investments at risk inside Iran,” Rich Goldberg, a former Trump administration official and senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told The Daily Wire. 
“At the same time, U.S. energy exports are pulling Asian importers into longer-term strategic alignment with Washington. Beijing has a great deal riding on what Trump chooses to do next,” Goldberg added.
Reports that China was considering selling surface-to-air missiles to Iran also raised alarm in Washington because the systems could potentially threaten U.S. helicopters and aircraft operating over Iranian territory. Beijing denied the reports and warned it would respond to additional U.S. penalties.
The United States has increasingly targeted those networks as part of a broader effort to economically isolate Tehran both through sanctions and the blockade. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reportedly threatened secondary sanctions on Chinese banks tied to Iranian accounts.
Despite those pressures, analysts say China still has substantial short-term energy reserves that could help cushion disruptions in Gulf shipping routes. According to geospatial analytics firm Kayrros, China currently has roughly 1.39 billion barrels of oil in storage — enough to cover around 120 days of net crude imports at current levels.
Still, experts warn that those reserves are not a long-term solution if the conflict intensifies or the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. Smaller Chinese “teapot refineries,” many of which rely heavily on discounted Iranian crude, could face pressure first because of thin profit margins and dependence on cheap imports.
The conflict has also complicated China’s broader relationships throughout the Middle East. 
After the United States and Israel launched strikes during Operation Epic Fury, Iran responded with rocket and drone attacks targeting multiple countries, including Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — many of the same countries Beijing relies on for trade and energy imports.
In Kuwait, officials recently accused an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps team of attacking Bubiyan Island, where China is helping fund the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project. Kuwaiti officials said the armed group clashed with security personnel before being apprehended, leaving one Kuwaiti servicemember injured. Kuwait condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty and warned that it reserved the right to self-defense.
That has left China attempting to balance ties with both Tehran and its regional rivals while avoiding becoming too publicly involved in ceasefire negotiations. Analysts say Beijing has deliberately kept a relatively low diplomatic profile in order to avoid blame if negotiations collapse.
Trump’s meetings in Beijing are now expected to test whether China is willing to use its economic leverage over Tehran, or whether the war with Iran is becoming another major flashpoint in the growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Trump’s Beijing Showdown Comes With A Dangerous Wildcard

CONTINUE READING

Radical Arrested For Bomb Threat Against Erika Kirk

Chilling Post Adds New Twist To Ivanka Trump Assassination Plot

Rubio Outlines Vision For ‘New Cuba’ As Possible Raúl Castro Indictment Looms

They’ve Tried To Take Down Bibi Before. Here We Go Again.

Iran-Backed Terror Operative Brought To U.S. Over Plot Targeting American Jews

Sanctioned By China, Marco Rubio Represents America In Beijing

News

China

Donald Trump

Iran

Operation Epic Fury

Trump Administration

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— News —

Trump’s Beijing Showdown Comes With A Dangerous Wildcard