Will China continue to prop up ‘rogue state’ Iran?
Beijing is part of the ‘the axis of autocracy’ united by a hatred of the democratic world order
China has played a crucial role in propping up Iran’s Islamic theocracy. It has constantly opposed sanctions on what the West has described as a “rogue state.”
Beijing brought Tehran into the BRICS+ bloc, a rival to the G7 and G20 geopolitical clubs dominated by democracies. Close military ties and cheap oil underpin the relationship.
The world’s second-largest economy also heavily criticized the United States’ decision to pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, accusing Washington of destabilizing the region.
As tensions increase, China has condemned Israel’s latest missile strikes on Iran. Yet this was in sharp contrast to its deafening silence after Russia invaded democratic Ukraine.
“A military confrontation with Iran isn’t in Beijing’s interest, [but] if it happens, it’s not a major setback either … as long as any military confrontation does not lead to regime change in Iran,” the independent Al-Monitor reported.
Flight of terror:
- Last week, Israel launched a wave of air attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military complex and has since taken out the tightly controlled state broadcaster. Tehran has retaliated.
- On Monday, the Israeli military announced it had established air superiority, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even talking of “regime change” on Fox News.
China is deeply concerned about Israel’s attacks.
Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Delve deeper: So far, nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists have been killed, the Reuters news agency reported today.
Between the lines: The air assault has spooked Beijing. “China is deeply concerned about Israel’s attacks, [and] calls on all parties [to] prevent the conflict from expanding,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a media briefing.
Big picture: Western national security experts have branded China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia as “the axis of upheaval” or “the axis of autocracy.” This modern-day pact of steel is united by a shared hatred of the democratic world order.
Bottom line: “[Yet despite] condemnation, China has remained on the sidelines, unwilling to translate words into meaningful support for [Iran’s] regime,” Craig Singleton and Jack Burnham, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote in a policy brief this week.
China Factor comment: US President Donald Trump talked about a “real end” to the war, with Tehran “giving up entirely” on its nuclear ambitions after rushing back to Washington from the G7 summit in Canada. How that will play out, only time will tell.