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 University
https://soc.jhu.edu/directory/sheng-zhang/
Sheng Zhang at Association for Global Political Thought
https://globalpoliticalthought.hsites.harvard.edu/people/sheng-zhang
Achilles’ Heel Self-Contradictions in the BRI’s Middle East Agendas Aggravate Limitations of the Iran-China Partnership
https://preprint.press.jhu.edu/anp/sites/default/files/Asian%20Perspective_preprint_Sheng%20Zhang_%28Spring%202026%29.pdf
Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:20 China sees Iran in a new light
00:09:29 Iranian unity and wartime resolve
00:13:16 China between Iran and Gulf states
00:21:25 Military lessons from the Iran war
00:29:31 Hormuz shipping and China relations
00:36:33 China’s wider regional message
00:40:24 Trump in Beijing with no real deal
00:56:24 East Asia lessons on US bases
01:05:36 Guest links and upcoming pape
