The news that Qatar has temporarily halted its output of liquid natural gas has sharpened the focus on how the Iran war will affect Chinese energy security. What has received less attention is how the war will affect Chinese companies’ commercial entanglements in Iran.
Despite the framing in Western discourse of China as a key partner to Iran, the relationship isn’t necessarily water-tight. For example, a few of the projects ...
Category: China-Middle East
China’s Relationship with Iran: More Balancing Act than All In
While China has expressed support for Iran as it faces attacks from Israel and the United States, readouts from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s conversation with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi hint at a more complex position. Wang’s emphasis on the securing of Chinese ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
WEEK IN REVIEW: BYD Reports Sixth Straight Monthly Drop in EV Sales
The Chinese EV-maker BYD reported its sixth straight monthly drop in sales and production, marking the sharpest year-on-year decline since early 2020 as domestic incentives end and demand weakens. The Chinese EV giant is increasingly betting on exports and overseas expansion, including a reported bid for a Nissan–Mercedes ...
China to Send Special Envoy to Mediate in Middle East: FM
China will send a special envoy to mediate in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, as the war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran spiraled across the region. Beijing has ties with Iran and has said ...
Wang Yi Works the Phones as Iran Crisis Escalates
As U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran reverberate across the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has launched a flurry of calls with regional and European counterparts, positioning Beijing as a voice for de-escalation while reaffirming support for Tehran’s sovereignty. ...
How Chinese Experts are Reacting to the American-Israeli Strikes on Iran
By Andrea Ghiselli More than a hundred children at a girls’ primary school in Minab, in southern Iran, are reported dead. Missiles and drones are striking targets across Israel as well as the Gulf, from Kuwait to Oman, with the barrage ...
Social Media Commentators Are Misreading the China Angle in the U.S.–Israeli War With Iran
By William Figuerora, Assistant Professor at Groningen University There are a lot of spurious claims that China will be badly damaged by the U.S and Israeli war against Iran, going as far as to suggest that China might be the real ...
As U.S. and Israel Strike Iran, China Watchers See Beijing Poised to Profit From the Chaos
Almost immediately after the U.S. and Israel launched "major combat operations" against Iran, a vigorous debate erupted online over what this latest conflict in the Persian Gulf would mean for China. The discourse largely broke down into two distinct categories:
China Evacuates 3,000 Nationals From Iran as Beijing Condemns U.S. and Israeli Strikes as Violation of International Law
At least 3,000 Chinese nationals have been evacuated from Iran over the past 72 hours, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning. The exodus follows calls for Chinese nationals across the Persian Gulf and the Mideast to leave, if possible, or shelter in place if not. ...
China Highlights Tracking of U.S. Military Movements Near Iran
People’s Liberation Army-linked analysts and social media accounts have publicized satellite imagery and flight-tracking data purporting to show U.S. military aircraft and naval movements near Iran, raising questions about whether Beijing is signaling its intelligence reach. The reports, amplified by Chinese commentators ...
Saudi March Crude Oil Supply to China to Rise to Multi-Year High, Sources Say
Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports to China are set to touch a multi-year high in March after the kingdom cut its official selling prices to Asia for a fourth month and attracted more demand, several trade sources said. State oil company ...
China Balances Israel Outreach With Assurances to Palestinians
China's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met on Tuesday with the Palestinian Authority's ambassador to Beijing, Jawad Mohammed Qutish Awad, for a briefing on the current situation in the West Bank and Gaza. Specific details of their discussion were ...
China and the Libyan Crisis: Maintaining a Foot in the Door in a Changing Region
By Bianca Pasquier and Leonardo Bruni, On November 12, 2025, the Chinese embassy in Tripoli officially reopened after more than a decade. However, the return of Chinese diplomatic staff to the Libyan capital passed largely unnoticed, attracting scant media interest ...
Chinese Officials Hold Talks With OIC Secretary General
China's vice president and foreign minister held talks with the secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Monday, according to a ministry statement and the official news agency, Xinhua. The talks in the Chinese capital of Beijing come amid ...