To Deal with the Iran Threat, America Must Address China’s Role in the Middle East

The CCP’s support for the ayatollahs demonstrates just how interlinked the threats to American national security are.

In the aftermath of the failed Iranian attack on Israel, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi rushed to defend Tehran’s aggression. In doublespeak worthy of George Orwell’s 1984, he described the wave of missiles and drones as an act of “self-defense,” and even claimed it would “spare the region further turmoil.” Wang’s comments may have been absurd, but they nonetheless reveal much about Beijing’s position on the growing conflict in the Middle East.

Although it claims to take a “friend of all” approach to the region, the Chinese Communist Party is in fact one of the Islamic Republic’s greatest supporters. As early as 2020, the two regimes signed a formal economic and security pact to increase cooperation. The CCP provides the ayatollahs diplomatic cover for their bald-faced aggression and an economic lifeline in the midst of their international isolation. In addition, the two countries participate in joint military exercises and share intelligence with each other.

This budding alliance of authoritarians is one of the gravest national-security threats the United States faces. The CCP is using the Iranian regime’s hegemonic ambitions to gain a foothold in the Middle East, which would give it major advantages in the broader global competition with the United States. American leaders cannot afford to let the CCP become entrenched in such a strategically important region.

To begin, it is important to understand the concrete benefits the CCP receives from the Iranian regime. Even while it commits horrific acts of genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, Beijing can count on the Islamic Republic for vital energy supplies. In the first ten months of 2023 alone, China became the top buyer of Iranian oil, buying an average of 1.05 million barrels per day. These exchanges keep Chinese production lines humming and prevent Iran’s economy from collapsing under the pressure of Western sanctions.

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