When Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Beijing on Wednesday for his first visit to China since the war began, he brought with him a familiar set of expectations: continued oil purchases, diplomatic cover, and a show that Tehran still has powerful friends.What he got was warmer in tone than in substance because China’s priority for 2026, several analysts note, lies with the US and a steady economic environment at home in which to implement its 15th Five-Year Plan.Even so, Iran remains strategically useful to China, the world’s top crude importer. At present, that reliance has become even more...