What the Iran war means for China’s timeline to invade Taiwan | Iran: the Latest news
China looms large over the entire US-Iran war - but what does leader Xi Jinping really think of the conflict and how is he exploiting it to benefit Beijing?
On part 2 of today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to world-renowned China expert Steve Tsang, director of SOAS’s China Institute, about Xi’s support for Iran despite its claims of neutrality. Tsang reveals why Donald Trump’s costly military intervention creates an unprecedented opening for Beijing and how it shifts Xi's calculations on invading Taiwan.
Plus, they discuss how China is building a new world order around itself using events such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to weaken the Western-led international order and whether a war with the US is inevitable - the dreaded Thucydides Trap.
Video Summary
AI GeneratedExpert Steve Tsang analyzes China's strategic approach to the US-Iran conflict and its broader goal of global preeminence. Xi Jinping leverages international instability to position China as the leader of the Global South, aiming for a Sinocentric world order. While pursuing \"national rejuvenation\" and the eventual unification of Taiwan, China balances pragmatic support for Iran with a cautious, long-term timeline.