Beijing’s calculated silence on the Iran war
For China, the deeper strategic calculation is not about Iran’s survival, but about the shape of the emerging world order
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WHEN the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb 28, 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering the most consequential Middle Eastern conflict since the 2003 Iraq War, the world watched closely to see how China, Iran’s most important diplomatic and economic patron, would respond.
The answer, ultimately, was: carefully, and within carefully chosen limits. China’s initial response was swift in form but modest in substance.
Beijing firmly opposed the use of force in international relations and called for an immediate halt to military operations, joining Moscow in demanding an emergency United Nations Security Council session.
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