Who can claim victory if Iran ceasefire holds? An early winner is China

Beijing’s powerbrokers are credited with winning Iran over, although one analyst says they were ‘pushing an open door’ As the world struggles to make sense of what, if anything, was achieved by the ceasefire deal announced by the US and Iran on Tuesday, one major power that stands to win regardless is China. Beijing’s powerbrokers are being credited with pushing Iran towards agreeing to the ceasefire, bolstering its status as a regional mediator. In China’s tightly censored domestic media, articles basking in the glory of China being the grown-up in the room at a time of international crisis were allowed to circulate. Guancha, a nationalist online outlet, published a report on Wednesday that discussed articles in the New York Times and Associated Press in which China was credited in playing a pivotal role in the ceasefire deal between Iran and the US. The article in Guancha said: “The conclusion of this ceasefire could not be achieved without active mediation of China, Pakistan and other countries.” The US president, Donald Trump, told the Agence France-Presse news agency that he believed China had got Iran to agree to a ceasefire. This confirmed reports from Iranian and Pakistani