On April 16, 2024, Professor Liu Zhongmin of the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University was interviewed by Global Times on China-Iran relations (see Global Times, April 17, 2024, page 5), as follows:
Key to resolving Mideast tensions not ‘China reining in Iran,’ CNN wrong
US propaganda machines are increasing their efforts to shift the blame for escalating the situation in the Middle East onto China. On Monday, CNN published an article with the headline directly asking: Can China play a role in avoiding an all-out war in the Middle East?
The article said the recent outbreak of tensions between Iran and Israel has raised questions over how much leverage China wields over Iran and whether Beijing is willing to turn its political capital into influence. It pointed out that reining in Tehran in the ongoing conflict could prove a thornier task for China, as it lacks the ability to pull economic levers to influence Iran's behavior due to a lack of real coercive power in the region.
China has no intention of seeking coercive power in the Middle East. In fact, CNN's so-called weaponizing trade relations, using economic influence for political pressure, is a common tactic employed by the US. It is petty-minded to judge China's diplomacy from the perspective of Western countries' consistent despicable practices, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times. China doesn't view economic exchanges as a geopolitical tool, let alone using them to reining in other countries.
CNN is wrong. The key to solving the Middle East conflict is not reining in Iran, the responsibility lies with the US and Israel. The conflict between Iran and Israel started with an Israeli airstrike that destroyed the Iranian consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, resulting in 16 deaths and violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. Iran retaliated 12 days later and gave the US and neighboring countries a 72 hours' advance notice. However, CNN is turning a blind eye to these facts.
Not only CNN, but in the recent confrontation between Iran and Israel, Western countries, including the US, have once again demonstrated double standards. They displayed an ambiguous attitude when Israel's bombing resulted in Iranian casualties and property damage, while unequivocally condemning in the strongest terms Iran's retaliation against Israel, stating that Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region.
It is the US pro-Israel stance in the Israel-Palestine conflict that has triggered a series of subsequent military conflicts and spillover effects, including the recent flare-up between Iran and Israel. Therefore, who should play the biggest role in avoiding an all-out war in the Middle East? The answer is the US.
Unfortunately, with its enormous influence, the US fails to play its due role, but instead adopts a double standard stance, which is the real culprit behind the tense situation in the Middle East, Tian Wenlin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.
The main key to easing tensions in the Middle East lies in the US restraining Israel, not China reining in Iran. The US repeatedly demands that China influence Iran and attributes one of the causes of the tense situation in the Middle East to China's failure to influence Iran as desired by the West. However, the fact is: The root cause of the tension in the Middle East lies in the Israel-Palestine issue, and the way out of this fundamental problem is through a two-state solution, for which the only obstacle is to get Israel to agree, and the one who can truly exert influence is none other than the US.
The Gaza conflict itself and the conflict between Israel and Iran are likely to continue, said Liu. According to media reports on Monday, Israel's war cabinet remains determined to respond to Iran's attack and reviewed military plans for a potential response, while Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that Iran will respond to any action against its interests.
Against this background, it's just for China to call on relevant parties to exercise maximum calm and restraint and resolve their differences and disputes in accordance with the purposes of the UN Charter and international law to prevent further escalation. China will continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Middle East issue and help deescalate the situation. The US should also bear its due responsibility in the conflicts in the Middle East, rather than shifting blame onto China.
Source: Global Times
(The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author or the interviewee, and do not represent the position of this research institution)
