The Chinese Foreign Minister offered to “work with the international community” on Tuesday to help establish peace in the Middle East — after President Donald Trump announced that he had brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
An active conflict erupted between the two countries on July 13 after the Israeli government announced a military operation targeting high-ranking Iranian military officials along with critical military infrastructure such as missiles and missile launchers. The campaign began after the United Nations nuclear watchdog body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), passed a resolution hours before finding Iran in breach of international law on nuclear development.
For nearly two weeks, Iran retaliated by launching missiles into Israel’s largest cities, killing dozens. No public evidence exists that the attacks impacted any Israeli military assets.
The United States became directly involved in the conflict on Saturday, when President Trump approved airstrikes to destroy three of Iran’s largest known nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz. Trump announced that American pilots had “completely and totally obliterated” the uranium enrichment facilities and demanded that Iran “make peace” immediately or face “far greater” attacks. By Monday evening, Trump announced a ceasefire.
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump wrote on his website, Truth Social, late on Monday. “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”
Iran almost immediately violated the ceasefire, shooting missiles at civilian centers in Israel and hitting at least one apartment building. At press time, Iran’s post-ceasefire attacks have killed at least six people. Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning that he also believed that Israel had violated the ceasefire and reportedly called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and convinced him to turn his planes around.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressed “hope” on behalf of the regime for the success of Trump’s ceasefire.
“We do not want to see the spiraling up of tensions, and hope that a ceasefire can be realized as early as possible,” Guo asserted. “Facts have proven that military means cannot bring peace, and the right way of solving issues is dialogue and negotiation.”
“China calls on parties concerned to return to the right track of political settlement at an early date. We stand ready to work with the international community and make effort for peace and stability in the Middle East,” he added.
The Chinese Communist Party was in the process of proposing a resolution at the United Nations Security Council this weekend that would have called for such a ceasefire. Beijing had repeatedly suggested since July 13 that it could play a role in mediation and contacted leaders in Israel and Iran, but both largely ignored China’s attempts to intervene. China is a close ally of the Iranian regime and has stridently opposed Israel’s interests on the international stage, instead opting to engage with Iran and its terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi network.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry rapidly condemned Israel on July 13 following the launch of its military operation to protect its citizens from Iran’s nuclear program.
“China is closely following Israel’s attacks on Iran and is deeply concerned about the potential grave consequences of the operations,” spokesman Lin Jian said at the time. “China opposes actions that violate Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes moves that escalate tensions and enlarge conflicts.”
“China stands ready to play a constructive role in helping ease the situation,” Lin offered.
China has also never condemned Iran’s uranium enrichment, which the IAEA recently affirmed violated international law. China voted against the IAEA resolution and used its state media arms to blame America for the illicit Iranian nuclear program.
“The U.S. bears responsibility for the Iranian nuclear issue,” the Chinese state-run Global Times claimed. “If Washington had not unilaterally withdrawn from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and if the agreement had been smoothly and effectively implemented, the issue very likely would not have deteriorated to its current state.”
The JCPOA, brokered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, lifted sanctions on the Iranian regime with the expectation that Iran would limit its enrichment activities. Iran repeatedly violated the agreement, prompting Trump to withdraw from the deal in 2018. The JCPOA remains technically in vigor as the other parties to the agreement — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany — remain. The provisions of the agreement are widely considered to no longer apply, however. The director-general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, lamented last year that “nobody applies it, nobody follows it,” and therefore it “exists only on paper and means nothing.”
The Global Times did not acknowledge the Iranian violations in its coverage condemning America last week.
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