WATCH: Iran war sharpens China’s security calculus
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran are sending shockwaves far beyond the Middle East — and deep into Beijing’s strategic calculus.
Analysts say the military campaign reinforces what Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has long argued: hard power ultimately determines national security and global status.
According to reporting by The New York Times, Xi has repeatedly warned of American military pressure and has pushed the People’s Liberation Army to become a world-class force — what he once called a “Great Wall of Steel” capable of deterring adversaries.
While Washington and Beijing remain locked in competition mixed with limited cooperation, Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet in Beijing in the coming weeks to preserve a post–trade war truce. Still, Washington’s recent use of force against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — both seen as strategic partners of China — has unsettled Beijing.
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