China Stayed Out Of The War. It May Still Be One Of The Biggest Winners

US-Israel strikes on Iran may have weakened Tehran in the short term, but the conflict has also created several opportunities for China to expand its influence on the global stage without becoming directly involved in the war.

When the war began, China criticised the attacks on Iran and opposed the killing of Iranian leaders, including its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Instead of supporting military action, Beijing repeatedly called for talks and a peaceful solution. China also backed mediation efforts by Pakistan and encouraged negotiations.

Chinese officials argue that the US and Israel made the situation worse by launching military attacks on Iran, which increased tensions in the Middle East and caused uncertainty in global oil markets, Newsweek reported.

When Iran and the US moved closer to a peace deal on Monday, China was able to present itself as a constructive player. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly thanked China for its support. The conflict allowed Beijing to tell the world that while the US and its allies were involved in war, China was promoting dialogue and peace.

Henry Wang, president of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalisation, told Newsweek, "The US attacks on Iran with Israel really set an unprecedentedly bad example and dismantled 80 years of the world order."

According to US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping remained neutral and didn't take sides with Iran. At a G7 press conference in France, Trump said, "I want to ⁠thank China, President Xi... he stayed neutral, totally neutral, ​and I appreciate it. They ⁠didn't do that. President Xi helped me. He tried to help, and I think he probably helped get it solved," CNN quoted.

The months-long conflict showed that even with its powerful military, Washington struggled to achieve a clear outcome in Iran. The conflict also allows Beijing to question whether the US would be able to sustain a much larger conflict closer to China's borders, such as over Taiwan.

Many people also expected China to suffer badly from the Iran war because it gets about 40% of its oil and around one-third of its natural gas from the Middle East. But that did not happen as Beijing had stored around 1.2 billion barrels of oil for emergencies.

In addition to this, China invested in different supply routes and energy sources. It also expanded renewable energy, such as solar power and electric vehicles. As some countries struggled with fuel shortages, Chinese companies exported more diesel and jet fuel to regional markets.

As China has heavily invested in electric vehicles, batteries and solar power, it was less exposed to oil supply disruptions than many other countries.

The first round of talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland ended with both sides agreeing to work towards a final deal within 60 days and set up a high-level committee to oversee the negotiations.