China’s Diplomatic Moves
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, made calls to both Tehran and Jerusalem and reached out to Oman to back the pause in fighting that began early on June 23 and was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump en.wikipedia.org. On June 18, Wang Yi spoke with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi and said China kept in touch with Iran and other nearby states to push for talks and calm minds mfa.gov.cn. Then Wang Yi phoned Iran’s Abbas Araghchi and Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar to press them to stick to the deal washingtonpost.comapnews.com.
Why China Cares About Peace
China buys almost nine out of every ten barrels of Iran’s oil exports so it can keep its factories running and its people working apnews.combloomberg.com. If fighting flares up, oil ships must reroute around long paths or face U.S. penalties. And the Belt and Road project that links China to Pakistan and beyond could see its roads and ports threatened if the Gulf stays unsafe washingtonpost.com. So Beijing has a clear reason to help keep the guns quiet.
China’s Criticism of Israel
While China backed the pause, it also put pressure on Israel by calling its strikes on Iranian facilities a breach of Iran’s rights arabnews.com. Chinese spokespeople said those strikes set a bad example and could spark more harm in the region washingtonpost.com. At the U.N., China joined other nations in supporting a call for a cease-fire resolution and warned that force on its own would not fix the issues apnews.com.
What Comes Next
Even though both sides agreed to the pause, rockets flew again and each side blamed the other for breaking the deal theguardian.com. China says it will stay talking with all involved to help them cool down and swap ideas instead of shells china.org.cn. It has not offered troops or weapons. Instead, it uses its phone lines and its vote at the U.N. to keep the pause alive.
My Take
I think China’s steps show how much it needs a steady flow of Iranian oil and a stable path for its big projects. And it also shows China’s wish to look like a grown-up on the world stage by settling fights instead of joining them. But real trust takes more than calls and speeches, so we will see if these words turn into a lasting calm or if the region slips back into more rounds of strikes.
