Can China still maintain good relations with Gulf states and Iran as fighting escalates?

2026.03.18 04:20 Smoke rises near Dubai airport from a fire caused by a “drone-related incident”. Photo: AFP Iran’s air strikes on the Gulf states have turned the spotlight onto China’s dilemma in trying to develop long-term relations with those nations but also with their arch-rival Iran. Strikes on all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iran have hit both American military assets stationed in those countries and civilian infrastructure, including oil refineries. As oil and gas producers, they are also bearing the brunt of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. All six have stated their neutrality, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US broadcaster MS Now, formerly MSNBC, on Saturday it was “crystal clear” his country was being attacked from US bases and military installations located in its Gulf neighbours. Meanwhile, China has been stepping up its mediation efforts. Analysts have said China’s long-standing relationship with Iran could allow it to play a “unique” role in cooling tensions – but warned that its influence was not strong enough to stop Tehran targeting Beijing’s partners in the Gulf. However, some observers have argued that Beijing could offer the GCC additional “pragmatic” support to help stabilise the situation, and said the conflict could pave the way for the relationship to “deepen further” in the long run. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held separate calls over the last two weeks with his counterparts from all six GCC states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – as well as Iran. Beijing has also sent its special envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, on a tour of the Gulf. On Sunday, he met Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and spoke by phone with Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs. Meanwhile, Chinese foreign vice-minister Miao Deyu had a grou

原文链接: 南华早报