What is China’s next move as the Middle East violence escalates?

Beijing could benefit from its anti-Israel stance and a distracted US, but may struggle to play a meaningful peacemaking role, analysts say

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China has called for restraint as Israel continues its campaign in Lebanon. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:00am, 5 Oct 2024Updated: 5:57pm, 5 Oct 2024

China’s stance on the escalating violence in the Middle East may bring some benefits as the United States becomes further distracted, according to analysts.

But they also warn of reputational risks if Beijing cannot live up to its self-appointed image as a mediator.

The conflict between Israel and Iran and its proxies has pushed the Middle East closer to a regional war and also threatens to drag in the US. Meanwhile, China may seek to seize the moral high ground by blaming Washington’s pro-Israel stance and continue to promote itself as an alternative peace broker.

During a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday – the day after Iran’s missile attack on Israel – China’s ambassador Fu Cong called on all parties, “in particular Israel, to exercise restraint and refrain from any action that could lead to further escalation of the situation”.

It was Iran’s biggest ever assault on Israel, largely in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, days before and of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Describing the situation in Gaza as a “hell on earth”, Fu attacked Israel’s disregard for international calls for an immediate ceasefire and its “stubborn” military operations, which he said had resulted in the “protraction and expansion of the conflict”.