China This Saturday he showed his “great concern” due to the attacks by the United States and Israel against Iranwhose “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity must be respected”and demanded the “immediate cessation” of military operations to “maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.”
In a brief statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also requested “to prevent a upsurge even greater tensions” and “resume dialogue and the talks“.
Hours earlier, the Chinese embassy in Iran had once again asked its citizens to take extreme precautions facing an “extremely serious and complex” security situation. According to the official newspaper ‘Global Times’, there is no record of deaths or injuries among the Chinese community in Iran.
In a statement published on its website, the diplomatic mission recommends that, after the “military attack”, the Chinese in Iran “closely monitor the situation, remain calm, be alert, reinforce their security precautions, take immediate emergency evacuation measures and avoid sensitive locations and crowded places.”
This Friday, the Chinese embassy in Iran had asked its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible and to reinforce their security measures, also advancing that its legations in the region would provide the necessary assistance to “relocate them through commercial flights or land routes.”
Regional alert
The embassies of the Asian giant in other countries in the region such as Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman o United Arab Emirates They also issued security notices, calling on their citizens not to go out unless strictly necessary, to stock up on food or medicine, and to “keep a low profile.”
Likewise, the Chinese representation in Israel issued a statement in which it calls on its citizens to “prepare for attacks with missiles, drones and other threats,” and to “familiarize themselves with the shelters anti-bombing and the nearest evacuation routes.
Chinese experts cited by ‘Global Times’ assured that the intentions of the US and Israel “have always been a change of regime” in Iran, and denounced that the recent negotiations were nothing more than “a diplomatic cover” in the face of the “underlying strategic intention” that would be demonstrated by the military campaign.
Ding Long, professor at the Shanghai University of International Studies, advanced that the trajectory of the conflict will depend on “the scale and speed” of Tehran’s response, which could be “significant” given its “preparation”, also pointing out that the aforementioned regime change “will be difficult.”
China, Iran’s key ally
Given the “significant increase in external security risks” in Iran, Beijing recently reiterated that it closely follows the situation in that country and that it supports it in the “protection of its sovereignty”, although it has not gone beyond verbal diplomatic support in this crisis.
China is Iran’s most powerful ally and also its main trading partner, accounting for around 30% of its total foreign trade and 90% of its oil exports, followed by Russia and India.
In recent years, Beijing and Tehran have deepened their exchanges, which include a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2021, which establishes a comprehensive cooperation framework in economic, technological, energy and security areas.
