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/ Israel-Iran War
The Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing in May came at a moment of deepening global volatility: a fragile ceasefire with Iran, continued disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, an ongoing U.S.-China trade war, and broader shifts in the global order. The Middle East crisis shaped both the timing and agenda of the summit, delaying the first visit by a U.S. president to China in nearly a decade by more than a month. As the conflict enters its fifth month since the launch of the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in February, the crisis has become a great power stress test, exposing the limits of both American and Chinese strategy while reshaping how regional middle powers navigate the competition between them.
