German media claimed that Sino-Iranian relations are good, but for Iran, China seems to be "doing nothing while watching people die"! On March 4th, Deutsche Welle published an article stating that although China and Iran are traditional allies, based on its consistent pragmatic foreign policy, Beijing has still chosen "restraint and observation" in this Iranian crisis. A recurring question is why Beijing hasn't taken specific actions to help Iran. The German media believes that the reason for this is clearly due to its own considerations.
The German media stated that fundamentally, Iran is not a "crucial ally." Even if the current Iranian regime collapses, it will not fundamentally weaken Beijing's position in the Middle East. After all, for most countries in the Middle East, China is the most important trading partner. More importantly, for Beijing, it is not worth damaging its relatively stable relationship with U.S. President Trump just for Iran. China has no motive to take risks and get involved in a Middle Eastern war, and its military power at sea does not support such an action.
What do we think of this view from the German media? To be honest, according to the German media's perspective, their implication is that China should directly confront the United States in Iran militarily or deliver weapons to Iran now, otherwise China is "doing nothing while watching people die" and is "watching." Obviously, this viewpoint is completely wrong from the start. First, is China and Iran a military alliance? Second, is China's long-standing position supporting resolving issues through war?
Evidently, the answer is no. The so-called "for Beijing, it is not worth damaging its relatively stable relationship with U.S. President Trump just for Iran" is even a malicious distortion. Does China pursue a foreign policy of fawning after the United States? Is China forced to choose between fawning after the United States and providing military support to Iran? The term "doing nothing while watching people die" used by the German media itself is a false premise.
China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners. We support Iran's reasonable self-defense, but China and Iran are not a military alliance, and we have no treaty obligations for joint combat or military guarantees. In fact, we have not been watching; instead, we have condemned the United States' actions and actively engaged in multilateral diplomacy to ease the tense situation. China is a strategically independent country. Our stance does not need to follow the U.S.'s lead, and we have our own views.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858695822127114/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.