China calls for 'pressure' on Israel but risks being sidelined
With Xi Jinping's offer of mediation from Astana falling on deaf ears, China is looking with great concern at a possible direct US intervention in Iran. The crisis is highlighting the fragility of the multilateral bodies promoted by Beijing such as SCO and BRICS. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals are being evacuated.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – At the daily press conferences by China’s Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the war in Iran is becoming more and more a source of concern.
“China is deeply worried about the ongoing situation between Israel and Iran and has expressed concerns on that,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. “We oppose any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”
However, US President Donald Trump seems to be considering with ever-greater conviction a direct intervention alongside Israel. This goes against calls for de-escalation coming from many quarters, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was in Astana for the second China-Central Asia summit.
China “stands ready to work with all parties to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East,” said President Xi, who returned to Beijing today, while the situation seems to be getting worse.
“Further escalation in the Middle East serves no one’s interests,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. “The country with special influence on Israel in particular needs to maintain a fair and objective position, take up due responsibility and play a positive and constructive role for deescalation and preventing further spread of the conflict.”
This crisis China finds itself in an extremely uncomfortable position. Despite the ambitions shown in 2023, when it helped Iran and Saudi Arabia improve relations, its political weight in the region has remained limited.
It has inked major deals to buy Iranian oil and trade with the Gulf countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, but on the political level, it has achieved very little. If the United States really decided to enter the conflict, it would find itself in a dead end.
Iran is a key player in the multilateral institutions set up by China. Since 2023 it is a member of the Shanghai Security Organisation (SCO), which has released a statement condemning Israel’s attack against Iran; however, India, one of SCO’s nine members, refused to endorse the organisation’s position.
Since 1 January 2024, Iran has also been a full member of BRICS, a group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) that styles itself as an alternative to the G7. Strongly supported by Xi Jinping, it has been joined by other countries since it was founded.
In just two weeks, on 6 and 7 July, the annual summit of BRICS heads of state and will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was expected to be present.
This will be a litmus test to see how much the network of relationships China has put in place in recent years really counts.
For now, the only real result that China can boast about almost a week after the start of the Iran-Israel war is the repatriation of its citizens from Iran.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing announced that 791 Chinese citizens were evacuated from Iran to safety, while more than a thousand are in the process of being moved out.
Chinese embassies and consulates in countries neighbouring Iran, such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, are taking part in the operation, with operational teams sent to assist Chinese citizens cross the border, and provide them with support for their subsequent return to China.
Some Chinese citizens have also been evacuated from Israel.
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04/07/2023 18:57
12/07/2022 13:35
