Why China is playing the long game in Iran despite Trump’s fresh threats

With Tehran in turmoil and Washington threatening to intervene, Wang was holding Beijing’s long-standing line.“[China] opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one’s own will on others and opposes a return of the world to the law of the jungle,” he said, adding that Beijing was willing to play a “constructive role” in resolving differences through dialogue.A fortnight after the US abducted the leader of another Chinese energy partner, there was no mention of concrete steps and no condemnation of the US threats against Iran, a country that China has maintained ties with despite decades of international sanctions and isolation.Observers said China’s muted response to the US-Iran tensions reflected a strategy of restraint, balancing vital energy interests with long-standing diplomatic principles and a cautious recalibration of its Middle East approach.Zhang Xin, deputy director of the Centre for Russian Studies at Shanghai-based China-normal-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="16501" data-entity-type="organization">East China Normal University, described Beijing’s position so far as “extremely restrained and conservative, with no indication that it wants to intervene in a more direct way”.