Trending Now - China's Foreign Policy Faces Challenges Amid Us-iran Strains

WHO:

U.S. President Donald Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan President

Ali Khamenei, Iranian Supreme Leader

William Yang, analyst with the International Crisis Group

Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Henry Wang, president of the Centre for China & Globalization

Muyu Xu, senior analyst with Kpler

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies in Indonesia

James M. Dorsey, adjunct senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore

Mao Ning, spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry

WHAT:

The U.S. and Israel conducted military strikes on Iran.

China expressed "highly concerned" and called for an immediate halt to military operations and resumption of dialogue.

Wang Yi condemned the strikes as unacceptable.

China imported approximately 1.4 million barrels of oil per day from Iran in 2025, accounting for 13% of its total seaborne oil imports.

China has developed alternatives for energy security and has enough oil in transit to last four to five months.

QatarEnergy halted production of liquefied natural gas on March 2, 2026, after its facilities were attacked.

Trump is expected to visit Beijing in early April 2026.

WHERE:

Beijing, China

Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf

Djibouti, East Africa

New York, USA (where Maduro was detained)

Tehran, Iran (where Khamenei was killed)

WHEN:

The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran occurred on March 1, 2026.

Wang Yi condemned the strikes on March 2, 2026.

Trump’s visit to Beijing is expected in early April 2026.

QatarEnergy halted production on March 2, 2026.

The military drills with Iran were conducted prior to 2026.

WHY:

China’s response is influenced by its long-term interests and the upcoming summit with Trump.

The U.S. strikes are viewed as an attempt to contain China by targeting its energy supplies.

China prioritizes its relationship with the U.S. over Iran due to trade and economic factors.

HOW:

China has diversified its energy supplies and built up reserves to mitigate the impact of potential disruptions.

The U.S. military actions are perceived as part of a broader strategy to exert pressure on China.

China maintains a transactional relationship with Iran, viewing oil purchases as normal trade rather than a strategic alliance.

Tensions escalated last week when the U.S. and Israel conducted military strikes on Iran, prompting a strong condemnation from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who described the attacks as unacceptable and called for an immediate halt to military operations. China, which imported around 1.4 million barrels of oil per day from Iran last year, expressed its concerns while emphasizing its energy security measures, including diversified supplies and significant reserves. As President Trump prepares for a visit to Beijing in early April, the geopolitical landscape remains complex, with China prioritizing its relationship with the U.S. amid these developments.