Is it time for China to rethink non-intervention in this new age of disorder?

With the Iran crisis, the world is in a ‘jungle phase’ and Beijing should work on interventionism 2.0, government adviser says4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenPublished: 10:00pm, 12 Mar 2026Updated: 10:54pm, 12 Mar 2026With the Strait of Hormuz effectively weaponised as part of the Iran crisis, Beijing should move beyond rigid non-intervention to take targeted action to defend its massive interests abroad, according to a leading Chinese government adviser.In an interview published on Monday, Zheng Yongnian called for a more assertive “intervention 2.0” while avoiding US-style hegemonic overreach or “strong-arm” tactics.He argued that China’s commitment to “absolute non-intervention” was becoming increasingly untenable as rise of the “jungle law” created disorder, evident in the self-interested power plays surrounding the Iran conflict.His assessment was published by the Greater Bay Area Review, a social media account affiliated with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, where Zheng is dean of the school of public policy.01:22Oil tankers set ablaze by Iranian drones as shipping vessels targeted in Middle East warOil tankers set ablaze by Iranian drones as shipping vessels targeted in Middle East warTehran halted cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for one-fifth of global oil trade, after US-Israeli joint strikes killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei nearly two weeks ago.