The Iran war may be remembered not just for who won or lost, but for how Beijing quietly altered the terms of great-power conduct
Yet at the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 17, he credited Beijing – alongside Moscow – with preventing a full-blown catastrophe. His observation that China “could have sent in an oil ship with six destroyers alongside of it, on each side” but chose restraint, captured the essence of Beijing’s strategic poise: a demonstration of power that needed no overt display.
Behind closed doors, Beijing delivered messages urging flexibility. This was not coercion but influence rooted in interdependence: China is Iran’s largest oil customer, a primary financial lifeline and a diplomatic shield.