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Navigating China's Relations with Israel, Iran in a Changing Middle East

(Jerusalem Post) Doron Cucos - After the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, China issued highly critical and confrontational statements against Israel. However, during the war between Israel and Iran in June, China adopted a critical tone toward Iran. Chinese scholars branded Iran as a "paper tiger," implying that it is weak and unsustainable as a strategic partner. From Beijing's perspective, the war demonstrated that Iran is lagging behind the regional and global pace, and that its ideological bloc is disintegrating. Prominent Chinese voices argued that China should disengage from failing partners. In essence, Iran is no longer an asset to China - and possibly even a liability - and Beijing must realign its Middle East policy accordingly. Chinese social media - particularly Weibo (China's Twitter) - reflected this emerging consensus. Many posts praised Israel's surgical military operations, its avoidance of civilian casualties, and framed its actions as legitimate self-defense. Some bloggers even portrayed Israel's intelligence penetration of Iran as near-mythical. Weibo is tightly monitored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and public narratives emerging on the platform often mirror internal CCP sentiments. Iran is increasingly viewed as a burden, while Israel's regional value is rising. The writer is an expert in Chinese politics and economy.
2025-07-22 00:00:00
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