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Xi Jinping and Masoud Pezeshkian hold brief, low-profile meeting during regional security summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a brief, low-profile meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday. The two leaders met for several minutes to discuss bilateral ties aimed at strengthening relations between Tehran and Beijing. While Iranian state media reported the meeting, Chinese state media gave extensive coverage to Xi Jinping's encounters with other leaders but omitted the meeting with Pezeshkian. This muted public treatment suggests Beijing is managing the optics of its relationship with Iran as it prepares for a planned meeting with President Trump later this month. During the summit, the 10-member bloc issued a joint statement condemning military strikes on Iran and supporting the right to civilian nuclear development under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, the statement did not commit member states to specific military or economic support for Iran. China remains the largest buyer of Iran's sanctioned oil exports, though imports have fallen since the war began as Beijing draws on its own reserves.

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