Xi calls for Middle East calm in call with Putin
On Thursday, Xi Jinping held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss spiraling tensions in the Middle East.
ICYMI: Last Friday, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in an effort to stymie Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
- Since then, the two sides have exchanged aerial attacks, and the US is mulling intervening in support of Israel.
Xi warned of the risks of a wider conflict (Xinhua):
- “If the conflict continues to escalate…countries across the region will also be severely affected.”
- “The parties involved in the conflict, especially Israel, should halt military operations as soon as possible to prevent a spiral of escalation.”
Xi also took a not-so-veiled swipe at the US:
- “Major countries that have a special influence on parties to the conflict, should make efforts to cool down the situation, not the opposite.”
By contrast, he said that China:
- “Stands ready to continue enhancing communication and coordination with all parties…and play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East”
Get smart: The prospect of further destabilization in the Middle East – along with US and Israeli calls for regime change in Iran – makes China exceedingly nervous.
- From Beijing’s perspective, global trade and geopolitics are unstable enough without a military conflagration in the world’s foremost oil-producing region.
Get smarter: By calling Putin, Xi seeks to contrast China and Russia’s “constructive” approach to global security with reckless US “adventurism.”
- But China is highly unlikely to do the heavy lifting needed to mediate a reduction in hostilities.