LONDON, 09 May. - (ANA) - China’s response to the US–Israel war against Iran has been influenced both by the war’s economic impact and by the CCP’s ambitions in the Middle East and the Global South.

 

The US–Israel war against Iran has had a measured impact on China. China’s economy has weathered supply-chain shortages better than those of other Asian and European countries, and American interventionism has benefitted its efforts to promote an alternative world order. In addition, the war in Iran has diverted some American assets from the Pacific and contributed to the depletion of ‘finite levels’ of munitions in the United States.

 

Nevertheless, analysis of Chinese scholarship and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) official response to the conflict identifies key areas of concern that are likely under discussion internally, including China’s vulnerability to global supply chains, the impact of the war on China’s ability to project itself as a neutral leader of the ‘Global South’ and how US actions may coerce middle powers away from China.

 

Importantly, however, China’s response to the ongoing Iran war has led Beijing to continue to hedge in a region where it seeks to maintain a neutral, but not equidistant, relationship among all countries. Despite China’s proclaimed success in supporting the normalisation of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, China has not shown willingness to play a public and leading mediating role in the aftermath of the two attacks on Iran in 2025 and 2026. Instead, Beijing continues to adhere to its five principles of peaceful co-existence to guide its international relations, while doubling down on efforts to improve China’s self-reliance and resilience. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/09 May 2026 - - -