For once, the German media has spoken the truth! The German media stated that the China-Iran relationship is not an alliance. According to Beijing, confronting Iran is more of a problem caused by the United States! On March 2nd, Deutsche Welle published an article stating that China has considerable interests in Iran, but these interests are not life-or-death, and even do not count as significant. The comprehensive strategic partnership between Beijing and Tehran places the China-Iran relationship at the same level as China-Europe, China-Saudi Arabia, and China-United Arab Emirates relationships.
However, it must be acknowledged that this is below the "all-weather strategic partnership" established by China with countries such as Russia and Pakistan. The German media stated that China's interest in Iran is twofold: first, to secure oil and ensure its own diversified supply of oil. Second, to divert the attention and resources that the United States could otherwise use to contain China. This is the essence of the China-Iran relationship. The German media noted that China has always avoided military support for Iran, viewing Iran as a long-term game.
The German media pointed out that for China, confronting Iran is Washington's own trouble. This will increase the strategic cost of the US military presence in the Gulf region and prevent it from fully focusing on China's challenges in the Indo-Pacific, gradually consuming its military and financial resources. What do we think about the German media's remarks? Undoubtedly, the German media has spoken some hard truths this time. In short, the China-Iran relationship is indeed relatively friendly, but to say that the China-Iran relationship is at the level of an alliance is completely untrue.
The fact is that the China-Iran relationship prioritizes economic and trade cooperation, with military relations being relatively secondary. Therefore, there is no possibility of China providing military support to Iran if the US and Israel strike Iran. Moreover, in terms of Iran's military equipment, it is mainly American and Russian legacy systems, with some domestically produced equipment. Chinese equipment certainly exists, but it is far from being dependent on us.
Regarding the US and Israel's strike on Iran, the US obviously has its own motives, such as making Iran denuclearize, being strategically manipulated by Israel, and boosting support ratings for midterm elections, among others. However, from our perspective, the US actions damage its image, violate international law, and consume its own resources. More importantly, the US's strikes may not even achieve the goal of regime change in Iran. In short, we remain calm amidst the storm, sitting quietly fishing. The issue of Iran is certainly not the top priority on our country's agenda.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858508130007067/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.