China Pursues ‘Paper-Thin Diplomacy’ in Iran-Israel Conflicts: FOD
President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon! (Image China MFA, X)
China Pins Middle East Escalation on Israel While Backing Iran with Arms and Oil: FDD Analysis
By TRH News Desk
NEW DELHI, June 20, 2025 – Amid soaring tensions in the Middle East following Israeli strikes on Iranian military assets, a new research paper by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) exposes how Beijing is blaming Israel for the conflict while quietly enabling Tehran’s regional aggression and nuclear ambitions.
According to the paper co-authored by Craig Singleton, Jack Burnham, and Miles Kershner of FDD’s China Program, China has taken a public stance condemning Israel’s actions, accusing it of violating Iran’s sovereignty. Fu Cong, China’s Ambassador to the United Nations, criticized Israel’s “military adventurism” and called on it to “cease further escalation,” as quoted by China Daily, the CCP’s English-language mouthpiece.
Despite China’s condemnation, the report reveals that Beijing has been instrumental in equipping Iran and its proxies — including the Houthis — with weapons, missile technologies, and targeting data. “China has long fuelled Iran’s arsenal,” the FDD researchers note, even as it deflects responsibility for the resulting regional instability.
China’s Strategic Double Game
The report further highlights how China calls on other nations, especially the United States, to de-escalate the conflict, thereby avoiding any direct responsibility or tangible action. During a recent call with his Iranian counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged countries with influence over Israel to “restore peace,” without indicating any steps China would take itself.
Beijing’s diplomatic messaging has also painted Iran’s nuclear program as peaceful, contradicting recent IAEA findings that Tehran remains in breach of its non-proliferation obligations and has stockpiled uranium near weapons-grade levels. At the UN, Fu Cong opposed “armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities,” reiterating Iran’s right to nuclear energy under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“This narrative seeks to delegitimize Israel’s pre-emptive interventions,” the FDD paper argues, suggesting that Beijing is using international platforms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to amplify Tehran’s narrative and isolate Israel diplomatically.
Hollow Peace Rhetoric
The FDD researchers criticize what they call China’s “paper-thin diplomacy.” While Beijing warns of “catastrophic consequences” and claims to promote peace through dialogue, it has offered no substantive framework for de-escalation. Even Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response has been limited to generalized calls for restraint.
“Beijing’s alarmism serves two purposes: it shifts blame to Israel and the US while projecting China as a neutral peace broker — a claim not backed by any diplomatic initiative or enforcement mechanism,” the paper states.
Financing Iran, Not Pressuring It
Perhaps most notably, the paper calls out China’s unwillingness to leverage its significant economic influence over Tehran. China currently purchases up to 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil, effectively financing nearly 20 percent of the Islamic Republic’s GDP. Yet Beijing refuses to reduce these purchases or suspend joint infrastructure projects, actions that could significantly pressure Iran to scale back its provocations.
Promoting Its Own Security Order
Beijing’s broader strategy, the authors argue, is to use the conflict to promote its “Global Security Initiative,” which emphasizes state sovereignty and non-interference — values that resonate with authoritarian regimes but sideline issues of accountability or human rights. Through platforms like the SCO and China-Central Asia Summits, Beijing is attempting to displace US leadership in the Middle East with its own vision of “common security.”
“China is not offering solutions — it is offering a counter-narrative,” the report concludes, highlighting how Beijing’s moves are more about positioning than peacemaking.
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About The Author
Israel is a rogue & rowdy state . Unlike India, whose citizen is supplying weapons to Israelis, which supported genocide of Gazans, China is taking a bold stand to usher in peace , while India is acting like a vassal of Israel