The condemnation was explicit. "Israel's military action against Iran has led to a sudden escalation of tensions in the Middle East, which deeply concerns China. We oppose any action that undermines the sovereignty [...] of other countries," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday, June 17, during a meeting in Kazakhstan with five Central Asian countries.

As early as June 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, to express the anger of the world's second-largest power. "This action is all the more unacceptable given that the international community is still seeking a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue," Wang told Saar, having already called his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghtchi, to express China's support. On Tuesday, Chinese embassies in Iran and Israel called on their nationals to leave both countries "as soon as possible."

From the Chinese perspective, Israel's offensive epitomizes what is wrong in a world dominated by American power − namely, double standards that allow an attack in violation of international law simply because it is carried out by a US ally, emboldened by Washington's continued supply of weapons and, if needed, its protection. However, the coherence of China's rhetoric has been undermined by three years of diplomatic backing for Russia following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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