Thinking About China
Opinion

How Does the Iranian Uprising Impact the China Transition?

Has this given Chinese leader Xi Jinping more optimism that he could gamble on a move to recover his power in Beijing without U.S. interference?
How Does the Iranian Uprising Impact the China Transition?
People gather during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026. Anonymous/Getty Images
Gregory Copley
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Commentary

The Iranian insurrection against the clerical control of the country, underway in earnest for several weeks, appeared by late January to have reached a pause, as the clerics, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, escalated their widespread killings of protesters.

Gregory Copley
Gregory Copley
Author
Gregory Copley is president of the Washington-based International Strategic Studies Association and editor-in-chief of the “Defense & Foreign Affairs” series of publications. Born in Australia, Copley is an entrepreneur, writer, government adviser, defense publication editor, and Member of the Order of Australia. His latest and 37th book is “The Noble State: Governance Options in an Ignoble Era.”