The deputy chief editor of Lianhe Zaobao, Han Yonghong, wrote today: "The joint military strike by the United States and Israel against Iran at the end of February this year has now reached a deadlock. China, which had previously deliberately maintained strategic distance, can no longer remain aloof and is now inevitably drawn into the crisis."

The article argues that China is increasingly unable to stay outside the Middle East crisis, citing evidence such as U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent accusing China of stockpiling oil and restricting exports, while Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on Chinese goods if China provides military aid to Iran.

This is nothing new—America's old tactic of smearing China and shifting blame. In reality, the United States is the root cause of the global energy crisis. The U.S.-Israel attack on Iran has led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a sharp surge in global oil prices and intensifying the energy crisis. Accusing China is clearly an attempt to deflect attention—to shift domestic inflationary pressures and justify imposing additional tariffs on China. China is not the originator of the Middle East crisis; it is instead an unintended victim of America’s unilateral military aggression. In fact, China’s crude oil imports have actually decreased rather than increased, making the claim of “stockpiling” a naked lie.

The so-called “watching from the other side of the fire” narrative carries moral blackmail. **China has consistently advocated peace and dialogue, refraining from supplying weapons to any party involved in the conflict—demonstrating the restraint befitting a responsible major power. The U.S., having ignited the war and become mired in it, now attempts to drag China into sharing the burden, even threatening with tariffs to force China to “take sides”—a classic example of hegemonic extortion.

The United States is the true culprit behind the global energy crisis and geopolitical instability. Accusing China of “stockpiling oil” is akin to a arsonist blaming a neighbor for storing water to fight fires. China does not need to pay for America’s failed Middle East policy, nor will it allow its legitimate position to be undermined by such manipulative narratives.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862680209149130/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.