China's top diplomat reaffirmed his country's support for Iran the day after Tehran ordered an unprecedented direct attack against longtime foe Israel.
In a phone call on Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that Beijing believes Iran, a "comprehensive strategic partner," has the situation well in hand and is capable of protecting its sovereignty and dignity while avoiding further regional instability, according to a statement by China's foreign ministry.
Wang, did not condemn the aerial assault, carried out by Iran and its proxies in retaliation for a strike on a consulate building in Damascus, Syria, two weeks before that killed two Iranian generals, inflaming regional tensions. Israel is widely believed to have been behind the bombing, though it has not claimed responsibility.
Israel said nearly all of the more than 300 incoming suicide drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were downed by its defense forces, the U.S., and U.S. partners in the region like Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Only one casualty has been reported, a 7-year-old Bedouin girl who was seriously injured by shrapnel.
In Monday's call, Abdollahian reiterated Tehran's position that its offensive was defensive in nature, prompted by the United Nations Security Council's failure to respond to Israel's alleged strike.
Wang told the Abdollahian that China firmly opposes the April 1 consulate attack in Damascus, calling it a severe violation of international law. He expressed Beijing "appreciated Iran's emphasis on not targeting regional countries and neighboring countries," according to the ministry readout.
The Chinese envoy reiterated Beijing's position that Iran's attack was a spillover from the Israeli-Gaza conflict. He stressed the need to implement a Security Council resolution adopted last month that demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
Beijing, which never condemned outright Hamas' October 7 killing spree in Israeli communities, expects Israel, and by extension its main supporter Washington, to be be isolated on the world stage as the bloody conflict in Gaza drags on, Tuvia Gering, a researcher at the Tel Aviv University-affiliated Institute for National Security Studies, told Newsweek.
China has therefore been positioning itself to benefit from reduced U.S. standing in the region, and potentially from the diversion of U.S. forces that could have been deployed in the Asia-Pacific, which China considers its backyard.
"The big question is what's going to happen when things escalate even further, how China would react," Gering said.
The long-running shadow conflict between Israel and Iran threatens to burst into open hostilities, leading President Joe Biden and other world leaders who condemned the attack at the weekend to urge restraint.
The head of Israel's military Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday vowed Iran's military display would be "met with a response—a step Iran's hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has warned will be met "with a stronger response bringing the enemy's regret."
The Israeli Defense Force didn't immediately respond to a written request for comment.
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Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
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