West Asia CHANGES Forever. The New China-Iran Relationship | Sheng Zhang

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Sheng Zhang, visiting fellow at Koç University’s Center for Asian Studies, on China’s changing view of Iran after the war, Beijing’s split between Iran and the Gulf states, military lessons from Iranian strategy, the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s Beijing visit, and the wider message for US bases, trust, and power in West Asia and East Asia.Links:Sheng Zhang at Johns Hopkins Universityhttps://soc.jhu.edu/directory/sheng-zhang/Sheng Zhang at Association for Global Political Thoughthttps://globalpoliticalthought.hsites.harvard.edu/people/sheng-zhangAchilles’ Heel Self-Contradictions in the BRI’s Middle East Agendas Aggravate Limitations of the Iran-China Partnershiphttps://preprint.press.jhu.edu/anp/sites/default/files/Asian%20Perspective_preprint_Sheng%20Zhang_%28Spring%202026%29.pdfNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com(Opt in for Academic Section from your profile settings: https://pascallottaz.substack.com/s/academic)Merch: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourthwall.comDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:20 China sees Iran in a new light00:09:29 Iranian unity and wartime resolve00:13:16 China between Iran and Gulf states00:21:25 Military lessons from the Iran war00:29:31 Hormuz shipping and China relations00:36:33 China’s wider regional message00:40:24 Trump in Beijing with no real deal00:56:24 East Asia lessons on US bases01:05:36 Guest links and upcoming pape