China condemns US and Israeli strikes on Iran, warns citizens to be vigilant
China is sounding the alarm about American interventionism.
ICYMI: On February 28, the US and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran.
- The following day, Iranian state media announced that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in one of the strikes.
China immediately condemned the military action, with a foreign ministry spokesperson calling it “a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security" (MoFA 1).
Top diplomat Wang Yi was even more blunt in a March 1 call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (MoFA 2):
- “The attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran…[and] the blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable.”
- “The international community must send a clear and unequivocal message opposing the world's regression to the law of the jungle.”
Wang also outlined China’s position on the burgeoning Iran conflict, calling for:
- An immediate cessation of military action
- A swift return to dialogue and negotiations
- No more unilateral actions
On the same day, PLA-linked social media account Jun Zhengping released an op-ed warning Chinese citizens to guard against threats to peace (The Paper):
- “Every Chinese son and daughter should be keenly aware that: we must not forget danger in times of peace.”
- “Only by maintaining a sense of crisis and being proactive can we safeguard the hard-won peace and stability.”
Get smart: Khamenei’s killing and January’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro show the US is increasingly comfortable targeting leaders of rival regimes.
- This will spur Beijing to build up its capabilities to guard against a similar fate in case of escalating tensions with the US.
- This could result in more suspicion of American businesses operating in China.