China and the war in the Middle East: What to expect from Beijing

On Wednesday, March 11, from 9:00 to 9:30 CET, MERICS held a briefing on China and the war in the Middle East: What to expect from Beijing.

The war in the Middle East is escalating. Both the US and Israel are planning for their attacks to continue for at least several weeks. Despite its close ties to Iran, China’s reaction has so far been reserved. Beijing has characteristically called for a halt to military activity and for resumption of dialogue, giving no indication of intended direct intervention on behalf of Iran. This falls in line with China’s reluctance to provide anything other than diplomatic and economic support to its allies. Still, Beijing has strong economic and geopolitical interests in the Middle East. The ongoing war will set the backdrop for the highly anticipated upcoming state visit of US President Donald Trump to Beijing at the end of March.

The briefing was a compact 30 minute online expert discussion of China’s reaction to the war and how Iran and other allies may interpret Beijing’s response.