Donald Trump Arrives in Beijing for Talks With Xi as Iran War Looms

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with President Xi Jinping as the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran loomed over the visit and analysts said Trump was unlikely to get the support he wants.

The Guardian framed the Iran track as a priority for Trump, saying he is eager for China to lean on Tehran to advance peace talks and reopen the strait of Hormuz.

Al-Ain Al-Ikhbariyah

The Detroit News reported that Trump is expected to ask for China’s help to resolve the conflict he launched in late February, while Reuters reported Saudi fighter jets bombed Iran-backed militias in Iraq as part of the war’s shifting pattern of responses.

In the same reporting, the Detroit News said Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and that an army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting to twice Iran's oil income.

The BBC said the visit begins on Wednesday, May 13, and described it as pivotal in shaping the future of a war underway for more than seventy days.

As the summit approached, the BBC said Washington set low expectations that Trump would persuade Xi to change China’s posture, while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, "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."

The Guardian reported that the U.S. this week put sanctions on several Chinese firms accused of assisting Iranian oil shipments and supplying satellite imagery allegedly used in Iranian military operations, claims that Beijing denied.

Associated Press

The Detroit News described a dispute over Israel’s outreach in the region, saying Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly travelled to the UAE in March for talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, while the UAE foreign ministry denied the trip took place.

The Detroit News also quoted Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi writing on X that "Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable."

NewsNation reported that Israeli strikes hit Beirut overnight, killing eight people, including two children, as the Israeli Air Force said it struck more than 40 infrastructures belonging to Hezbollah in several areas of southern Lebanon.

The BBC said the Iran file is tied to the Strait of Hormuz, noting Trump directly noted that China needs the continued flow of oil through the strait and that Washington recognizes Beijing cannot bear a long closure of the strait.

“Will Trump's Visit to China End the Iran War”

BBC

The Guardian added that with about half of China’s crude oil imports passing through the strait, Xi does want the waterway unblocked because China knows its exports will suffer if a global recession results from an oil supply crisis.

The Detroit News reported that more than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, U.S. and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart, with Washington calling for Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme and lift its hold on the strait while Iran demanded compensation for war damage and an end to the U.S. blockade.

NewsNation said the latest Israel-Hezbollah war started March 2 and that since the ceasefire went into effect, 380 people have been killed and 1,122 have been wounded, according to the Lebanese health minister.

In parallel, the BBC said China has been working diplomatically behind the scenes to help its ally Pakistan push to broker a peace agreement, while also sending a "subtle message of discontent" to Iran for closing the Strait of Hormuz and to the U.S. for its blockade of Iranian shipping.