As Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Central Asian countries to deepen cooperation under China’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. This marks the latest step in what analysts call Beijing’s diplomatic offensive and was highlighted in a recent podcast by the China-Global South Project (CGSP).
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy via email with a request for comment.
Why It Matters
China’s global influence continues to expand, particularly in the developing world—often at the expense of the United States.
This trend has accelerated during President Donald Trump’s second administration, which has withdrawn from a range of traditional U.S. leadership initiatives and soft power programs, including the World Health Organization, USAID and PEPFAR.
What To Know
At a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Xi announced a dozen cooperation agreements spanning green mining, trade, connectivity, personnel exchanges, and customs, according to Chinese state media. The previous week, China secured $11.4 billion in deals during the fourth China-Africa trade expo, hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Changsha, Hunan Province.
The two powers are “going in very divergent directions,” said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of CGSP.
The CGSP podcast discussion turned to China’s vocal support for Iran, after Xi spoke out Tuesday to rebuke Israel for sparking the ongoing conflict with its surprise attack last week.
Uzbekistan’s Presidential Press Service via AP
“This conflict—China came out very quickly and did not pretend to try and be a neutral arbiter, did not pretend to be kind of nonpartisan at all,” Olander said.
“They came out very quickly, backed Iran in this, framed the Israelis as the aggressor, and then also positioned the United States as manipulating all of this, which is par for the course in a lot of these types of incidents.”
CGSP Managing Editor Cobus van Staden added: “So not only in the diplomatic realm where China is coming out so strongly in favor of Iran, but also there are very steep economic consequences for the Chinese.”
Iran received diplomatic support from China—a longtime strategic partner and major export market—during previous, smaller exchanges of missile fire with Israel in April and October last year.
The latest crisis began Friday with Israel’s surprise strikes on a range of Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities, missile batteries, senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with retaliatory missile and drone attacks.
What’s Next
Washington’s response remains uncertain. Trump has signaled that the U.S. will be involved in Israel’s bombing raids against Iran in some capacity, demanding Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” in a Truth Social post earlier this week. It remains to be seen whether Washington will order direct military action or limit its role to support.
