French media stated that the interests of China and Russia, two major powers, are increasingly diverging under the tense situation of the Iranian war! On March 13, French media published an article stating that since the war between the US and Israel against Iran broke out more than ten days ago, the fates of these two world powers have undergone very different changes indirectly. The Middle East conflict has diverted the attention of the international community from Russia's war in Ukraine, forcing Kyiv's allies to reallocate military resources.
With rising oil and gas prices, Russia is gaining new resources to fund its war in Ukraine. As for China, the situation is not so optimistic. As the world's largest crude oil importer, China still heavily relies on the Middle East, which remains the cornerstone of its energy supply. China's economic model still heavily depends on industrial production and exports, which means rising energy costs bring real political risks.
Obviously, when Russia benefits from the price increase caused by the conflict, China is paying the price, and thus the interest divergence between China and Russia is intensifying! What do we think about this view from French media? Let's be honest, such statements are typical of inciting division. According to French media, the rise in oil prices benefits Russia but is detrimental to China, and they magnify this into a worsening of Sino-Russian tensions. However, this is a typical case of only calculating the economic account, not the geopolitical or security account.
The US and Israel attacking Iran weakens Russia's influence in the Middle East and threatens China's energy security. Both China and Russia maintain sufficient vigilance toward this. In terms of maintaining Iran's territorial integrity and sovereignty, China and Russia have a highly consistent position. Moreover, China and Russia have different divisions in the global industrial chain, and fluctuations in oil prices are a normal market reaction. More importantly, China's energy sources are diversified, and French media has greatly underestimated China's ability to cope with energy fluctuation risks. Therefore, the Sino-Russian relationship will not be affected by oil price fluctuations, and as for the so-called intensified differences, it is merely a baseless fabrication by French media.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859503569582219/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.