U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said the United States should push China to take a more active role in pressuring Iran during negotiations.

This approach seeks to utilize Beijing's economic and diplomatic ties with Tehran to stabilize the Gulf region. By coordinating these efforts, the U.S. aims to align Chinese influence with American diplomatic objectives to curb Iranian volatility.

Rubio said in Washington, D.C., regarding the strategy ahead of a planned Trump-Xi summit scheduled for May 2026 [1]. He said that the U.S. intends to make this a priority during the high-level meetings between the two nations.

"The United States wants China to press Tehran to change its course in the Gulf, and we’ll be pushing that agenda ahead of the upcoming Trump‑Xi summit," Rubio said [2].

The senator said that China possesses the necessary leverage to impact Iran's behavior in a way that the U.S. cannot achieve alone. He said that Beijing's involvement is critical for a more sustainable diplomatic process in the Middle East.

"We need China to use its leverage with Iran to bring about a more stable Gulf and to support the diplomatic process we’re pursuing," Rubio said [1].

This strategy focuses on the intersection of U.S.-China relations and Middle Eastern security. By framing Iran's behavior as a point of discussion for the Trump-Xi summit, the U.S. attempts to turn a strategic competitor into a diplomatic tool for regional stability.

“"We need China to use its leverage with Iran to bring about a more stable Gulf."”

This strategy represents a shift toward 'triangular diplomacy,' where the U.S. attempts to use China's growing influence in the Middle East to achieve security goals that sanctions alone have not resolved. If successful, it would signal a pragmatic cooperation between Washington and Beijing on regional stability, despite broader systemic tensions between the two superpowers.