4 h. ago China denies giving Iran air defence systems after conflict with Israel

China has denied transferring surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran following Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic last month. The British-based platform Middle East Eye reported on Monday that Chinese air defence equipment had been sent to Iran after it struck a truce with Israel last month, citing an Arab official familiar with the intelligence. One source told the platform that China – the biggest recipient of Iran’s oil exports – had received payment in oil shipments, but the report...

Politics

1 week ago Why China may be keeping a close eye as Trump gets drawn into the Middle East

As the US gets more entangled in the Israel-Iran conflict, China is likely to be keeping a close watch and picking up some clues on American interventionism in regional disputes. According to one China watcher, Beijing may be a “long-term beneficiary” of the American retreat from stable leadership, as Washington’s strikes on Iran have revealed it to be an uncertain and unpredictable global power. More significantly, the conflict has revealed Washington’s reluctance to engage in a prolonged war,...

Politics

1 week ago China to stay cautious as Iran seeks aid amid US, Israel clashes: Mideast expert

Iran may look to China for weapons support amid conflicts with the US and Israel, but Beijing will remain cautious, considering strained economic ties with Tehran and its broader interest in balancing ties with Israel and other Western-aligned states in the region, according to a veteran Chinese expert on the Middle East. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Pan Guang, a Chinese scholar of Jewish and Middle East studies, said the conflict between Iran and Israel was...

Politics

1 week ago Iran’s defense minister thanks China for support on first foreign trip since Israel conflict

Iran’s defense minister thanks China for support on first foreign trip since Israel conflict  CNNIsrael-Iran conflict exposed China’s ‘limited leverage’, say analysts  Al JazeeraExclusive | Israel-Iran Conflict Spurs China to Reconsider Russian Gas Pipeline - WSJ  WSJ

Politics

1 week ago Iran’s defense minister goes to China on first reported foreign trip since conflict with Israel

Iran’s defense minister goes to China on first reported foreign trip since conflict with Israel  CNN

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese airlines’ advantage, Chongqing as key trade hub: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. As skies in Mideast close, China airlines have key advantage – Russian airspace Western airlines risk suffering greater disruption than their Chinese rivals this summer, as the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel – compounded by US military strikes – forces most carriers to avoid flying over dangerous airspace on China-Europe routes. 2. Suez Canal...

Politics

2 w. ago Qatar Airways cancels flight from Hong Kong to Doha for second day in row

Qatar Airways has cancelled early morning flights from Hong Kong to Doha for two days in a row, with more than 100 passengers affected, amid the conflict between Iran and Israel. Flight 815, scheduled to depart from Hong Kong for Doha at 1.25am on Tuesday, was cancelled first after Qatar temporarily closed its airspace in anticipation of retaliatory attacks by Iran on a US airbase near the capital. The carrier later cancelled flight 815 on Wednesday, also scheduled to leave at 1.25am. Tuesday’s...

Politics

2 w. ago As skies in Mideast close, China airlines have key advantage – Russian airspace

Western airlines risk suffering greater disruption than their Chinese rivals this summer, as the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel – compounded by US military strikes – forces most carriers to avoid flying over dangerous airspace on China-Europe routes. Analysts said that while almost all carriers have diverted services to bypass Iran and parts of the Middle East, Western firms are at a disadvantage: they remain barred from Russian airspace, which Chinese companies continue to...

Politics

2 w. ago China ‘unlikely to take decisive role’ as US bombing of Iran tests influence

Even as US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities put China’s influence to the test in the strategically important region, most observers expect Beijing to avoid direct intervention of any kind. They said Beijing was likely to instead focus on diplomatic support for Tehran as the US became more entangled in the Israel-Iran conflict. US bombing over the weekend reportedly damaged three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, marking the most significant Western military action against Tehran since the...

Events

2 w. ago Xinhua News | China calls on int'l community to promote deescalation of Israel

Xinhua News | China calls on int'l community to promote deescalation of Israel-Iran conflict: FM spokesperson  Xinhua News

Politics

2 w. ago Middle East conflict hits global aviation, Hong Kong routes unaffected

Almost 5 per cent of international flights to the Middle East have been cancelled this month due to the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which has made the region more unstable after the US bombarded key Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran vowed to defend itself. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, 1,552 out of 32,583, or 4.76 per cent of scheduled flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, Doha, and Abu Dhabi worldwide were cancelled this month. There were no cancellations of flights...

Events

2 w. ago Have Trump’s Iran strikes given China a strategic advantage?

The US’ direct engagement in the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend could intensify its drive to secure critical resources – particularly rare earth minerals – a development that could strengthen China’s position in its ongoing geopolitical and economic rivalry with Washington, analysts said. A potential escalatory spiral in the Middle East could push forward trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, said Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at South China University of...

Politics

2 w. ago Xi Shows No Sign of Rescuing Iran as Trump Ramps Up Pressure

Xi Shows No Sign of Rescuing Iran as Trump Ramps Up Pressure  Yahoo FinanceXi Jinping Breaks Silence on Israel-Iran Conflict As China Warns Citizens  NewsweekA U.S. Attack on Iran Would Show the Limits of China’s Power  The New York Times

Events

2 w. ago China to evacuate citizens from Israel, US brain drain: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China to evacuate citizens from Israel via Egypt border as conflict escalates China’s embassy in Israel said it would begin evacuating nationals via the Egyptian border from Friday. Hundreds have already left the country, while about 1,600 Chinese citizens have left Iran over the last few days. 2. Will US actively join Israel against Iran? Pentagon chief...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong issues ‘black’ travel alert for Iran and Israel as conflict escalates

Hongkongers should avoid visiting Iran and Israel because of the “highly unpredictable security situation” in the two warring countries, authorities have warned, raising their outbound travel alert to its highest level. A Security Bureau spokesman said on Thursday that it had upgraded the alert for Israel and Iran to “black”, meaning there was “severe threat” in going to those places and all travel should be avoided. “Due to the highly unpredictable security situation in Israel and Iran, the...

Events

2 w. ago China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin discuss Middle East situation

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken by phone about the Middle East situation, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The phone conversation on Thursday afternoon came days after Israel initiated a large-scale military attack on Iran, which led to retaliation by Iran. On Tuesday, Xi called for de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict to avoid further tensions, while emphasising that Beijing was prepared to “play a constructive role” in restoring...

Politics

2 w. ago Xi urges Iran and ‘especially Israel’ to cease fire during call with Putin

In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an end to the fighting between Israel and Iran, urging the countries, “especially Israel”, to cease fire to prevent the situation from escalating and avoid a spillover of the conflict. The phone conversation came days after Israel initiated a large-scale military attack on Iran, which led to retaliation by Iran. “The situation in the Middle East is very critical. It once again proves that the...

Politics

2 w. ago China to evacuate citizens from Israel via Egypt border as conflict escalates

China’s embassy in Israel said it will begin evacuating nationals via the Egyptian border from Friday, after hundreds had already left the country, while about 1,600 others had left Iran over the last few days. In a statement on Thursday, the embassy said it was seeking to register Chinese citizens who wished to evacuate in organised groups, which would leave Israel by bus via the Taba border crossing, about 360km (224 miles) from Tel Aviv. Evacuees must hold a valid Chinese passport or valid...

Politics

2 w. ago China weighs strategic impact as US mulls military response in Iran

China is likely to remain cautious about intervening in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict even if the US engages militarily, a prospect that would bring mixed results for Beijing, according to observers. Speculation over US intervention has grown since last Friday, following Israel’s most intense strikes on Iran in decades. Washington has since sent an aircraft carrier from the South China Sea and deployed a large number of fighter and tanker aircraft to the Middle East. US President Donald...

Events

2 w. ago China’s possible peace role, firms flock to air show: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China may offer to play ‘constructive’ role in mediating Iran-Israel conflict China is expected to play an “active” role in trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but analysts warned there may be limits to what it could achieve. 2. After tight-lipped talks in London, the US-China silence speaks volumes A week after the second round of...

Politics