Tel Aviv, Jerusalem hit by missiles; Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Operation Rising Lion; Trump urges Iran nuclear deal
China, which has good relations with Iran, said earlier that it is “deeply concerned” about Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic and called for a de-escalation of tensions.
“China opposes actions that violate Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and opposes moves that escalate tensions and enlarge conflicts. The abrupt heating up of the region serves no one’s interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday.
China weighed in on the escalating tensions in the Middle East before Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel.Credit: Getty
He said China was prepared to play “a constructive role in helping ease the situation”.
Beijing has forged closer economic ties with Tehran in recent years as part of its broader influence-building campaign in the Middle East. China is Iran’s largest trading partner, and buys about 90 per cent of its oil exports, helping to mitigate the impact of crippling Western sanctions on Iran.
But analysts say it is a relationship built primarily on economic interdependence, rather than a deeper strategic alignment.
Now-dead Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2023.Credit: AP
With Iran’s regional power already severely diminished by Israel’s attacks on its proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah, Beijing likely now sees Tehran as a vulnerable partner in a volatile region, says Jonathan Fulton, an expert on China-Middle East relations at the Abu Dhabi-based Zayed University.
“There are so many variables to consider that I wouldn’t expect Beijing to do much beyond express support for Iran, condemn Israel, blame the US, and express hope that regional actors solve this regional problem,” Fulton wrote in an analysis for his China-MENA newsletter.
