Has Xi Jinping positioned China as the ‘adult in the room’ amid Iran-US war? Einar Tangen Explains

Is China quietly becoming the most powerful powerbroker in the Middle East and why isn’t it taking a victory lap? As war raged in Iran for over six weeks, it wasn’t Washington, Moscow, or Brussels but Beijing that may have tipped the balance toward a ceasefire. But how exactly did China pull it off? And more importantly, what does it want in return? In this episode, we speak to Einar Tangen, a Beijing-based expert closely tracking China’s global strategy. From shadow oil trade networks to backchannel diplomacy, from Xi Jinping’s calculated silence to Donald Trump’s unpredictable responses, this conversation unpacks the quiet mechanics of power. Why is China buying nearly all of Iran’s oil but refusing to openly back it militarily? Did Beijing really convince Tehran to step back or is this a narrative being shaped for leverage? And if China can talk to both Iran and its rivals in the Gulf, does that make it the only credible mediator left? But there’s a deeper question: if Iran trusts no one after this war, not the West, not its neighbors - does it fully trust China either?