By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
China has called for an “immediate” end to military actions after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, a Chinese foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The US and Israel began striking targets across Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump urging Iranians to overthrow the government in a conflict that threatens to spiral across the oil-rich Middle East.
“China is highly concerned about the US and Israel’s military strikes against Iran, “a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.
“China calls for an immediate cessation of military operations, to avoid further escalation of tensions, to resume dialogue and negotiations, and to safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.”
The statement came prior to the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the airstrikes later Saturday. China has yet to comment directly on his passing.
China-Iran trade is heavily tilted in Beijing’s favour.
China accounts for about a third of Iranian trade, while the Islamic Republic represents less than 1% of global commerce for the world’s second-biggest economy, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
While Beijing buys some 90% of Iran’s oil exports in defiance of US sanctions, the Middle East nation is ultimately a replaceable energy partner for China.
Even so, about a third of China’s crude supply comes from ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway next to Iran linking the Persian Gulf to the open seas. After Saturday’s bombing, a number of oil tankers avoided sailing through the strait, as some shipowners took a cautious approach.
China has strengthened diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran in recent years, although it has no formal alliance with the Islamic Republic.
Xi Jingpin supported Iran’s bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization security club in 2023, as well as its ascension to the Brics bloc — groupings Beijing has bolstered to challenge US power on the world stage.
Although Beijing signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement in 2021, which included a reported $400 billion in Chinese investment pledges, implementation of that deal has been weak. China’s economic interests in the wider Gulf region now far outweigh its economic ties to Iran.
With inputs from Bloomberg.