Chinese Social Media Video on Potential Impact of Iran being Defeated by U.S. and Israel: This Is a Battle China Cannot Afford to Lose

Memri

4 days ago

On June 20, 2025, the 'Steel Tooth Brother' account on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu posted a video titled 'If Iran Loses, Will It Have an Impact on China?' In the video, the narrator discussed the critically strategic nature of Iran's location and the importance of the Strait of Hormuz with regard to oil exports, predicting that an Iranian defeat would give the U.S. control over Middle Eastern oil, breathing 'new life' into the U.S. dollar and reshuffling the balance of power in the region. The narrator also said that an Iranian defeat would allow U.S. influence to spread northward and 'entrap' China and Russia, also risking China's Belt and Road Initiative. The narrator suggested that in order to prevent this scenario from unfolding, China must provide Iran with military equipment, use renminbi to settle China-Iran oil transactions, and align closely with Russia on the international stage against the U.S. and Israel. He added: 'This is a battle China cannot afford to lose.'