{"id":6826,"date":"2026-03-12T10:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=6826"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:55:10","slug":"china-condemns-indiscriminate-attacks-in-gulf-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/china-condemns-indiscriminate-attacks-in-gulf-region\/","title":{"rendered":"China Condemns \u2018Indiscriminate\u2019 Attacks in Gulf Region"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
March 12, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BEIJING \/ ABU DHABI \u2014 China issued its strongest public condemnation yet of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, labeling recent strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure and civilian shipping as \u201cindiscriminate\u201d and warning that continued escalation risks turning the Persian Gulf into \u201ca permanent zone of instability with global consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian delivered the statement during a regularly scheduled press briefing in Beijing Wednesday afternoon, just hours after Iranian forces claimed responsibility for a drone strike that ignited a massive fire at a key energy facility in Bahrain and as oil prices hovered near $100 per barrel amid disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina strongly opposes any actions that target civilian facilities and endanger international shipping lanes,\u201d Lin said. \u201cAttacks that cause civilian casualties, destroy energy infrastructure, and threaten the safety of merchant vessels are indiscriminate in nature and violate basic norms of international law. All parties must exercise maximum restraint and immediately cease actions that escalate the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing\u2019s Sharpest Rebuke Since Conflict Began<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The language marks a noticeable escalation in Beijing\u2019s rhetoric since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites began in late February. Earlier statements had called for \u201cde-escalation\u201d and \u201cdialogue,\u201d but Wednesday\u2019s briefing explicitly criticized the targeting of energy assets and civilian mariners \u2014 a direct reference to the string of attacks on commercial tankers and the Bahrain blaze that sent plumes of black smoke visible from Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s position is driven by three core interests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Energy Security<\/strong> \u2014 China remains the world\u2019s largest importer of crude oil, with roughly 45% of its imports historically transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Even with diversified sourcing (Russia, Brazil, Middle East non-Gulf suppliers), prolonged disruption would spike domestic fuel costs and threaten industrial output.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)<\/strong> \u2014 Multiple BRI projects, including ports in Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE, depend on stable Gulf waters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Geopolitical Balancing<\/strong> \u2014 Beijing has cultivated close economic and diplomatic ties with both Iran and Gulf Arab states. It does not want to be forced to choose sides in a widening regional war.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Lin reiterated China\u2019s call for an immediate ceasefire and renewed nuclear negotiations, stating that \u201cmilitary means cannot resolve differences over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and will only create more problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Diplomatic Moves Behind the Scenes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese diplomats have been active on multiple fronts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate phone calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Tuesday, urging both to avoid actions that could \u201cdrag the entire region into irreversible confrontation.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • China\u2019s UN ambassador is preparing to co-sponsor a draft Security Council resolution (likely with Russia) calling for a 72-hour humanitarian pause and safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • State-owned energy giants Sinopec and CNPC have quietly increased spot purchases from non-Gulf suppliers and begun drawing down strategic reserves faster than usual.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Reaction from Washington and Tehran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The White House dismissed Beijing\u2019s statement as \u201cpredictable posturing from a country that continues to buy Iranian oil in violation of sanctions.\u201d National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters: \u201cChina talks about restraint while quietly enabling the very regime that\u2019s attacking global shipping. Words are cheap when your tankers keep loading at Bandar Abbas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani welcomed China\u2019s position, calling it \u201cprincipled and responsible\u201d and noting that Beijing \u201cunderstands the suffering caused by aggression disguised as self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Gulf Arab states reacted cautiously. Saudi Arabia\u2019s official news agency SPA carried a brief report on the Chinese statement without editorial comment, while the UAE \u2014 home to a massive Chinese trading community \u2014 issued no immediate response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Broader Implications for Global Energy and Diplomacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Analysts say China\u2019s increasingly vocal stance could complicate U.S. efforts to maintain international unity behind the campaign. If Beijing pushes hard at the UN or accelerates alternative energy corridors (via Russia or Central Asia), the economic pressure on Iran might be partially offset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Oil traders are watching closely. While the coordinated release of strategic reserves (led by the U.S.) has provided temporary relief, many market participants believe that sustained Chinese diplomatic and economic support for Tehran could prolong the disruption \u2014 and keep prices elevated well into Q2 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cChina is not going to war over the Gulf, but it can make the war much more expensive for the attackers,\u201d said Dr. Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. \u201cBeijing\u2019s red line is not Iran\u2019s survival \u2014 it\u2019s the free flow of oil and the credibility of international shipping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      President Xi Jinping is scheduled to address the issue indirectly during a Politburo study session later this week, where energy security and great-power competition are expected to dominate the agenda. Meanwhile, Chinese embassies in Tehran, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Washington have all issued travel advisories urging citizens to avoid non-essential movement in the Gulf region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As the war enters its most economically disruptive phase, China\u2019s shift from quiet diplomacy to public condemnation signals that Beijing no longer views the conflict as a distant Middle East affair \u2014 but as a direct threat to its own core national interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Juba Global News Network will continue tracking Beijing\u2019s diplomatic maneuvering, energy market reactions, and any shifts in China\u2019s public or private position as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war reshapes global geopolitics and energy flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This is a rapidly evolving story. Full transcript of the Foreign Ministry briefing, live oil-flow tracker through the Strait of Hormuz, and expert analysis updated in real time at JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.comMarch 12, 2026 BEIJING \/ ABU DHABI \u2014 China…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[783,830,840,643,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia","category-breaking-news","category-china","category-more-articles","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6828,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6826\/revisions\/6828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}