China’s Xi keeps Iranian president at arm’s length weeks ahead of Trump summit

China’s President Xi Jinping gave his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian a brief, low-profile audience at a regional security summit, signaling Beijing’s calibrated approach toward Tehran just weeks ahead of Xi’s planned trip to Washington.

The two leaders met for several minutes on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media. The gathering brought together leaders of the 10-member bloc, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The semi-official Mehr News Agency said that the Xi-Pezeshkian meeting focused on “bilateral ties in line with strengthening relations between Tehran and Beijing,” without offering further detail.

That contrasted with Beijing’s approach of keeping the meeting out of public view.

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