As US enters Israel-Iran conflict, are China's Middle East interests at risk?
Direct military engagement by the US in the
Israel-Iran conflict risks escalating regional tensions and threatens China's strategic economic foothold in the Middle East, according to analysts.
Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy at South China University of Technology, said rising tensions in the
Middle East would undermine China's investments in the region, with conflict threatening key projects and violence disrupting trade flows and oil imports.
'In terms of China's energy security and oil supply, the Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping route for Chinese oil imports. Given Iran's geographic control over the strait, any intensification of regional conflict could threaten the stability of this critical passage, posing risks to China's oil import flows,' Xu said.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said a 'very successful attack' on three nuclear sites in Iran had been carried out.
The attack has fuelled fears among different countries that tensions would further intensify in the region.
Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas – two groups supported by Iran – have condemned the US strikes, with the Houthis vowing to support Iran in its fight against 'the Zionist and American aggression'.
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