Beijing Leverages Iran War to Showcase Difference

China has used the Iran war to present itself as the major power that still talks to everyone in the Middle East. (aljazeera.com) Chinese officials said Foreign Minister Wang Yi made 26 phone calls with Iran, Israel, Russia and Gulf states, while Beijing’s Middle East envoy traveled through the region in a mediation push. (fmprc.gov.cn) Beijing’s public line has stayed consistent since early March: stop the fighting, oppose moves that violate international law, and push the issue back toward the United Nations and regional diplomacy. (fmprc.gov.cn) That posture fits China’s interests. Analysts told Al Jazeera that Beijing is trying to protect ties not just with Iran, but also with the United States, Israel and Gulf monarchies that buy Chinese goods and sell China energy. (aljazeera.com) The war has raised the economic stakes. The International Energy Agency said in March that oil and fuel flows through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen from about 20 million barrels a day before the war to “a trickle,” forcing Gulf producers to cut output by at least 10 million barrels a day. (iea.org) China has extra reason to worry about that chokepoint because it entered 2026 with one of the world’s biggest strategic oil stockpiles, after adding large volumes in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (eia.gov) Beijing is also leaning on a long-running habit in its Middle East policy: build commercial and diplomatic ties across rival camps without offering the kind of military guarantees Washington gives allies. Carnegie analyst Evan Feigenbaum wrote in March that China had productive relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey and, for a time, Israel. (carnegieendowment.org) That approach does not mean China is replacing the United States as the region’s security power. Carnegie’s Federico Bordonaro argued this month that Gulf states still look to Washington on defense even as they expand economic ties with Beijing. (carnegieendowment.org) Chinese officials have tried to turn that contrast into a message. In March, the foreign ministry said China would “play a constructive role” and work for peace, while avoiding any sign that Beijing would enter the war militarily. (fmprc.gov.cn) If the fighting eases, Beijing will be able to argue that it kept channels open with every side while others picked camps. That is the difference Chinese diplomacy is now trying to sell. (aljazeera.com)