Iranian President Hassan Rowhnai and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet at a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Tehran in January 2016. Iran is one of the biggest suppliers of crude oil to energy-hungry China, and a war between Iran and the US would threaten China’s supply from the Middle East as a whole. Photo: EPA
Opinion
Opinion
To prevent war with Iran, China could endorse a US-led Gulf military escort scheme
- The odds of China joining a multilateral escort plan led by the US are close to zero, but Beijing recognises its use
- In particular, China sees it preventing small skirmishes that could escalate, and so may provide tacit endorsement
Iranian President Hassan Rowhnai and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet at a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Tehran in January 2016. Iran is one of the biggest suppliers of crude oil to energy-hungry China, and a war between Iran and the US would threaten China’s supply from the Middle East as a whole. Photo: EPA