Why Iran’s ‘Selective’ Closure of the Strait of Hormuz Matters Experts say that Iran’s effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, allowing certain countries safe passage, gives it leverage in the face of Trump’s threats—and potentially over the global economy a...

My comments for Time on Iran’s “selective” closure of the Strait of Hormuz and China

@exeter.ac.uk @spspa-uofexeter.bsky.social

time.com/article/2026...

Iran war tests Xi Jinping’s plan to build China’s stockpiles Beijing has driven major increase in reserves of oil and other strategic commodities but their scale remains secret

Thanks to Ed White for including my comments in this @financialtimes.com article on China and Iran

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @spspa-uofexeter.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk

www.ft.com/content/afed...

Investors and Trump Face an Iran Dilemma

Very happy to be cited in this @nytimes.com DealBook article on China and the war in the Middle East!

@exeter.ac.uk @cais-exeter.bsky.social @spspa-uofexeter.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/b...

My comments for the @wsj.com on China's approach to the conflict in Iran

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/iran-c...

Why China’s ties with Iran will endure despite death of Khamenei Killing of Iranian supreme leader has sparked turmoil and triggered talk about an ideological shift to the West.

Featuring analysis by Dr @andreaghiselli.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

China is Iran's key ally, so how will Beijing respond? | The World | ABC News YouTube video by ABC News (Australia)

Dr @andreaghiselli.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social spoke to ABC News (Australia) about China's likely response to the situation in the Middle East

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSdl...

Agahahahahhaha it’s a nice typo though

Ep 46 - What China really agreed to on rare earths + assessing US capability to end reliance on China

Must listen of a Trivium podcast on the US-China agreement and the history of the rare hearth industry

open.spotify.com/episode/4UjH...

Next week, join me and Mohammed Alsudairi in this online event hosted by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University.

We will present and discuss the findings of our recent CUP Element book on Sino-Middle Eastern relations.

www.eventbrite.com/e/nbas-narra...

What a treat! Many thanks to @billhayton.bsky.social for joining my students and I to talk about history and Chinese politics and foreign policy.

Read his book “The Invention of China” 🔗 yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300....

China-Middle East Cooperation: In the Eye of the Beholder Insights from Mohammed Alsudairi and Andrea Ghiselli.

@thediplomat.com has just published an interview with Mohammed Alsudairi and me discussing the findings of our CUP Element on Sino-Middle Eastern relations.

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @spspa-uofexeter.bsky.social

thediplomat.com/2025/10/chin...

The Future of Sino-Middle Eastern Relations | ChinaPower Project In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli join us to discuss their newly released book Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. They challenge prevail...

Many thanks to Bonny Lin for having Mohammed Alsudairi and me on her ChinaPower podcast to present our CUP Element book on Sino-Middle Eastern relations, and discuss how China and regional powers look at each other.

@cais-exeter.bsky.social

chinapower.csis.org/podcasts/the...

Do not forget to register here forms.gle/NbfQ71MsuHf6... (or send an email to chinamed@tochina.it) to attend @jonathanfulton.bsky.social's ChinaMed talk on the logic and limits of China's presence in the Gulf!

The event will take place on Friday (Oct10), 10:00 – 12:00 (CEST).

Do not forget to register here forms.gle/NbfQ71MsuHf6... (or send an email to chinamed@tochina.it) to attend @jonathanfulton.bsky.social's ChinaMed talk on the logic and limits of China's presence in the Gulf!

The event will take place on Friday (Oct10), 10:00 – 12:00 (CEST).

I look forward to visiting Glasgow!

China's MFA: Reformed before rising? Hi there!

New post on Substack!

open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...

China doubles down on Brics to defend free trade, but grouping’s divisions remain Brics leaders had to walk a tightrope between criticising US tariffs while avoiding a confrontation with Mr Trump. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

My comments on Xi Jinping’s (virtual) BRICS speech, the SCO, and the Global Governance Initiative for The Straits Times

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk

www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-as...

My comments in this @telegraphnews.bsky.social article on China and Russia

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk @uniofexeternews.bsky.social

www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

China and the Middle East: The Future in Three Scenarios China's rapidly expanding presence in the Middle East has sparked a mix of anxiety and excitement, depending on one's perspective. Washington regards Beijing's support of Iran and the Palestinian caus...

Mohammed AlSudairi and I talked with Eric Olander about our new @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Element book on China-MENA relations (free here cambridge.org/core/element...).

It was a great fun! You can listen to our @chinagsproject.bsky.social discussion here

chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/chi...

The New Economic Geography Who profits in a post-American world?

You have to see the whole board. Trump's policies are a regime shift from the US as insurance provider to protection racket, creating The New Economic Geography.

It isn't just about any one tariff or Fed official - the implications are far broader

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Nice to see @abuaardvark.bsky.social reviewed my book alongside the excellent recent one from @andreaghiselli.bsky.social and Mohammed Alsudairi.

Mohammed Alsudairi and I wrote a book on Sino-Middle Eastern relations!

Permanently in OpenAccess as part of @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org's Elements in Middle East Politics series.

🔗www.cambridge.org/core/elements/narratives...

That said, Beijing can afford to keep its low-cost, no-big-strategy approach because the risk of some damage to its interests is also very low. Moreover, while countries might not trust it in moments of crisis, they still need its money and influence at the UNSC.

Thus, path dependence and little interest in investing resources mean that Chinese influence appears growing fast when things on the ground favor it but it can also evaporate quickly when the wind turns.

In essence, the argument is that the past and likely future ups and downs in China’s fortunes in the Middle East are closely related to how the region fits within Chinese diplomacy. It’s simply not a priority.

It builds on some ideas that I’ve had in my head for a while and that coalesced together during a workshop in Brussels last month.

In this new piece for @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social I talk about how Beijing’s decision making shapes its actions and, thus, outcomes in the Middle East

t.co/sSUrtbRLI5

Does joining the Belt and Road Initiative help Chinese construction firms? Not always. A few days ago, the Financial Times published an article where it was reported that some recent studies have found that “The value of Chinese companies’ new investment and construction contracts in co...

New post in Substack!

Does joining the Belt and Road Initiative help Chinese construction firms? Not always.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Do you want to become a senior diplomat in China? Do not go abroad. About one month ago, Tyler Jost and Yucong Li published a very cool paper in China Quarterly. From the data to the findings, this article is really interesting. I wish I was the author! The paper cont...

New post on Substack!

I review a great paper published by Tyler Jost and Yucong Li on the promotion dynamics among senior Chinese diplomats.

open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...

Article review: Disappearing Research: Academic Control and Self-Censorship in China This is a fascinating article that was published recently in The China Journal. It deal with an important topic, of course. While the part on the effects of censorship on Englihs-language journals is ...

Like many, I've created a Substack. I will be mostly sharing reviews and comments on articles and books on China that I read.

If you publish something, share it with me! I'll include it in the review pipeline.

In the meantime, this is the first post.

thoughtsonchina.substack.com/p/article-re...