Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has declared that the US and Israel’s war in Iran “shouldn’t have happened”, adding that seeking regime change would be unpopular and destabilising.
But he signalled that the US’s decision to attack Iran, one of China’s closest partners in the Middle East, would not derail the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in April.
Speaking on the sidelines of China’s top annual political meetings, Wang did not directly condemn the US by name, but positioned Beijing as the global champion of state sovereignty while seeking to draw a contrast with Washington’s military interventionism.
“The history of the Middle East tells the world time and again that force provides no solution, and armed conflict will only increase hatred,” Wang said on Sunday. “Middle Eastern Affairs should be determined by regional countries independently. Plotting colour revolution or seeking regime change will find no popular support”.
China is Iran’s biggest economic partner, purchasing 90 per cent of its oil exports. But many experts say China’s relationship with Iran is a transactional one, and Beijing is unlikely to offer Tehran much material support beyond rhetoric.
Asked about the direction of China-US relations, Wang said both countries had a responsibility to engage, saying “sliding into conflict or confrontation could drag the whole world down.”
