{
  "id": 19497230,
  "title": "Can China help ‘neither war nor peace’ deadlock in Iran before Xi-Trump summit?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/can-china-help-neither-war-nor-peace-deadlock-in-iran-before-xi-trump",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T12:46:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3374110/can-china-help-break-deadlock-irans-neither-war-nor-peace-xi-trump-summit"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tehran has highlighted China's potential role in bridging the \"neither war nor peace\" standoff between Iran and the United States ahead of a potential meeting between the two countries' leaders. Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, emphasized China's capacity to ease regional tensions, citing the country's recent involvement in US-China peace talks and Iran's plans to establish a high-level body to coordinate with Beijing. Jodie Wen, a Middle East expert at Tsinghua University, noted that Iran's push for deeper ties with China was driven by its need for a neutral mediator and to counterbalance economic sanctions imposed by the US. Ghalibaf's remarks came in the wake of China's special envoy, Zhai Jun, visiting Iran to engage in detailed discussions with its leadership. Beijing's foreign ministry stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution and respect for all nations' sovereignty and security. Niu Xinchun, director of the China-Arab Research Institute, viewed Ghalibaf's remarks as a natural reaction to the economic pressure placed on Iran by the US. Washington has imposed new sanctions on Iran, further disrupting its economic ties with the US, Europe, and several Arab states. Despite these challenges, both Wen and Niu believe that China could play a role in regional diplomacy and that upcoming talks between US and Chinese leaders could help reduce strategic miscalculations and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.",
  "summary": "Iran has again pointed out the potential role of China in ending its “neither war nor peace” impasse with the United States and pledged concrete steps to deepen ties with Beijing ahead of an expected in-person meeting between Chinese and American leaders next week. Tehran has underscored its growing reliance on Beijing as Washington doubles down on economic sanctions, according to experts who…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}