Will China try to solve the US-Iran crisis – or view it as an opportunity?

Diplomatic efforts show the strategic importance of the Middle East to Beijing, which as an ally of Iran could encourage a measured approach

Washington’s energies may be diverted from its rivalry with Beijing – but observers warn that past flashpoints failed to hand China an advantage

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The assassination of Iranian major-general Qassem Soleimani sparked protests in several countries. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00pm, 10 Jan 2020Updated: 8:09pm, 17 Feb 2020

Hours before Iran's missile attacks on Wednesday in revenge for the US’ killing of military commander Qassem Soleimani, a top Beijing envoy visited Tehran.

As tensions with Washington reached what UN secretary general Antonio Guterres called “the highest level this century”, veteran diplomat Zhai Jun, China’s special representative in the Middle East, attended a security forum and met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

According to the Beijing-friendly Phoenix TV in Hong Kong, Zhai slammed “external forces” for acting as saboteurs, in a barely veiled jab at US President Donald Trump, who had ordered the assassination of Soleimani last week, pushing the volatile region to the edge of the abyss of war.

“Unilateral military adventurism by any side is unacceptable, and will only aggravate tensions and instability in the region,” Zhai told Zarif and senior officials from other Middle East countries at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, a regional security event.

Zhai’s trip, along with China’s other diplomatic manoeuvring since the Soleimani assassination on January 3, emphasised China’s deepening interests and influence in the Middle East, and its warming ties with Iran, at a time when both countries are under pressure from the Trump administration, observers said.

The heightened tensions between the US and Iran have also sparked a debate in China, with many asking whether Beijing could inadvertently benefit from the stand-off.