Has the Iran war upended U.S.-China negotiations?

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the Iran war on U.S.-China negotiations and the potential changes in China's negotiating strategy.

President Trump delayed his planned summit with Xi Jinping from March to May due to the war with Iran. Scott Kennedy and Brian Hart join Will to assess the war's impact on the talks, if the war has changed China's negotiating strategy, and if we should expect a different outcome from the May summit as a result of the delay. Scott Kennedy, "The United States Needs a Coherent China Policy," CSIS, October 6, 2025. Bonny Lin, "Why a Venezuela-Style Operation Would Backfire for Beijing," CSIS, January 9, 2026.

People in this episode

Host: Will

Guests: Scott Kennedy, Brian Hart

Topics covered

• U.S.-China relations
• Iran war
• negotiation strategies
• international diplomacy
• summit meetings

Keywords

• Iran war
• U.S.-China negotiations
• Xi Jinping
• Scott Kennedy
• Brian Hart

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS

Books & works: The United States Needs a Coherent China Policy, Why a Venezuela-Style Operation Would Backfire for Beijing

Places: Iran, China, United States

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