U.S. Senate Trip to Beijing Swivels to Iran and Mideast After Hamas Attack on Israel

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before their bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 9, 2023. Andy Wong / POOL / AFP

A trip by U.S. senators to China originally aimed at smoothing bilateral tensions and trade disagreements pivoted heavily toward Iran on Monday, after the Tehran-backed group Hamas killed hundreds of Israelis in a surprise attack over the weekend.

The Mideast conflagration comes months after China helped negotiate a détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Chinese media have repped Beijing as the new peacemaker in the troubled region.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Han Zhen

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Indonesia Begins $5.9 Billion Chinese EV Battery Project Despite Environment Fears
4
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6
China, U.S. Ink Rare Earth Deal; More Trade Pacts Coming

You Might Like

Iran Top Diplomat in China to Discuss Nuclear Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was visiting China on Wednesday for consultations ahead of a new round of nuclear talks with the United States. Iran and the United States are set to meet ...

When You See This Chart You’ll Understand Why This Week’s Gulf Diplomacy in Beijing is So Important

Charts listing China’s top sources of imported oil used to look very different. In 2008, according to David Shinn from George Washington University, three suppliers from African ...

Does the Flurry of Chinese Mideast Diplomacy Point to a Shift in Policy and a Tilt-Away From Africa? 

The frenetic pace of Chinese diplomacy with Persian Gulf countries in 2022 is prompting widespread speculation that Beijing is placing a higher priority on its relations with Mideast countries, possibly at the expense ...

China’s Mideast Special Envoy Visits Morocco in the Latest Stop of His Low-Key Regional Tour

China’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun (left), traveled from Khartoum to Rabat late last week where he held talks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourtia (right) in what ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP