Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi made calls to his counterparts in both Israel and Iran, the Chinese state propaganda outlet Global Times reported on Tuesday, allegedly intended to convince the country to abandon “renewed conflict and turmoil.”
The phone calls occurred back-to-back on Monday, according to Chinese state media. Wang reportedly lectured Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, demanding that the alleged “humanitarian disaster in Gaza must end” and insisting that “countering violence with violence cannot truly address the legitimate concerns of all parties.”
Wang was reportedly much more conciliatory in his call to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, applauding Iran for allegedly engaging in “mediation diplomacy.” Wang urged both parties to “enhance understanding,” without elaborating.
Iran has been engaged in a proxy war with Israel since October 7, 2023, when Hamas, a jihadist terrorist organization it bankrolls, invaded Israel and engaged in multiple massacres of entire residential communities. Hamas terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 people that day and abducted another 250 people, of which an estimated 97 are believed to remain hostages in Gaza. Survivors, videos taken at the scene, and other evidence indicates that Hamas terrorists committed widespread acts of torture, gang rape, infanticide, and other atrocities against innocent Israeli civilians.
Iran has unapologetically supported Hamas since Israel declared war on October 8, celebrating the slaughter as an historic event it branded the “al-Aqsa flood.” China, as a close ally of Iran’s, has similarly failed to condemn Hamas, hosted Hamas officials for alleged mediations with other Palestinian groups, and repeatedly condemned Israel for operations targeting the leadership of Hamas and other Iran-backed terror groups.
On Monday, Wang reportedly demanded that Israel stop its self-defense operations in Hamas-controlled Gaza and instead “return to the political path of a ‘two-state solution.'” The “two-state solution,” a plan to carve out a sovereign “Palestine” out of Israel, is a core demand of the Hamas terrorist group.
“Wang stated that China urges all parties to proceed with caution to prevent falling into a vicious circle. He said China is not self-interested in the Middle East and never engages in geopolitical contest,” the Global Times narrated of Wang’s call with Katz. The state outlet notably omitted any of Katz’s comments regarding the ongoing war against Hamas, instead highlighting that Katz allegedly supported China’s false claims to sovereignty over Taiwan.
Katz himself published a more robust summary of the phone call on social media that indicated he pressured Wang regarding China’s ties to Iran.
“I clarified that Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East. Iran constitutes a threat, both through its proxies and directly, to the stability of the Middle East and to the stability of the entire world,” Katz wrote. “Iran attacked Israel with more than 180 ballistic missiles. No country could ignore such an attack, and I emphasized that Israel will respond the Iranian attack.”
“We expect that China will express a balanced and fair position in relation to the war that was imposed on Israel, one which faithfully reflects who are the terrorist forces in our region and who is the country that defends itself against attacks by those terrorist forces,” he added.
Wang’s phone call with ally Iran, according to the Times, was far more conciliatory.
“The two sides spoke highly of China-Iran relations, emphasizing a commitment to maintaining exchanges at all levels and promoting practical cooperation,” the Chinese newspaper claimed. “Iran highly values China’s influence in international affairs and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to cool down the situation through diplomatic means, Araghchi said, adding that Israel should avoid taking risks and proceed cautiously.”
Wang did offer a light warning to Iran to avoid “military adventures,” but overall took on a tone of support for the rogue Islamist regime.
Communist China has for years struggled to elevate its profile in the Middle East, with minimal progress made. Through the anti-American BRICS coalition – which initially consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa but now includes Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – China has pursued a larger role in Mideast diplomacy. Prior to Iran joining BRICS, China mediated talks between Tehran and Saudi Arabia that resulted in the normalization of their diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia was invited to join BRICS but has intentionally maintained its status in the group in limbo.
Shortly after the October 7 attacks, China hosted a pro-Hamas summit for alleged pan-Arab dialogue in which parties condemned Israel’s response to the massacre.
“China is a good friend and brother of Arab and Islamic countries. We have always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of Arab (and) Islamic countries and have always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the event.
China has also hosted several rounds of talks between Hamas and Fatah, the Palestinian political party in charge of the West Bank, seeking to create a united front between them. The “unity talks” have been largely unsuccessful.
Beijing has been more vocal in supporting Tehran. In August, following the killing of Hamas “political” chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Wang called Bagheri Kani to declare that China supported Iran “defending its sovereignty, security and national dignity.” Haniyeh died in an explosion widely attributed to Israel but the Israeli government has not taken responsibility for the attack.
The Chinese government explicitly condemned Haniyeh’s filling, declaring that the Communist Party “firmly opposes and strongly condemns the act of assassination and considers it a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations.”
Iran responded to the assassination, and a separate attack on its embassy in Syria, by launching over 300 projectiles into Israel, including drones and various missiles. The Global Times declared the missile firings, which targeted civilian areas but missed, a “restrained” response.
China similarly condemned the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in September.
“China opposes the infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, opposes and condemns any action against innocent civilians, and opposes any move that fuels antagonism and escalates regional tensions,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement specified that it was addressing the death of Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for centuries and was responsible for at least hundreds of indiscriminate deaths, and not any other military activity potentially targeting “innocent civilians.”
