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AllAfrica
3 days ago
- Business
- AllAfrica
Why China's sitting on the Iran war sidelines
On a visit to Shanghai some years ago, I asked a leading Chinese strategist how Beijing would view a war between the US and Iran, which even back then seemed a high probability. I thought he would opine on how higher oil prices could threaten Chinese manufacturing. Instead, he shocked me by explaining that China would benefit from the US fighting yet another costly war in the Middle East, since that could mark the 'end of US global hegemony.' The Chinese have indeed always considered the Middle East as 'the graveyard of empires.' While hostilities have subsided for now, there remains a grim possibility that the Israel-Iran ceasefire could break down and the US will once again face pressure to come to Israel's defense. If China were to aid Iran, as it has Pakistan, with aircraft, missiles, and battle management technologies, that would mark a troubling escalation. But now, Beijing remains cautious about wielding its military power abroad. Still, China will likely reap geopolitical benefits if the US continues to be on an adversarial footing with Iran. The Chinese government condemned the American strike on Iran, saying, 'The actions of the US seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East.' An editorial published on June 22 in the Chinese newspaper Global Times asserts that Washington's resort to force amounts to 'adding fuel to the fire of war and pushing the Iran-Israel conflict to a more uncontrollable situation.' It's fair to say the Chinese have been increasing their presence in the Middle East. A month ago, the Chinese Air Force arrived in Egypt for a military exercise, which featured joint aerial refueling for the first time. China's warships have been conducting regular visits to the region for about a decade and it's only a matter of time before one of its new aircraft carriers makes an appearance in these crowded waters. Back in March, there was even a trilateral naval exercise, now an annual occurrence, between warships from Russia, Iran, and China. On the other hand, these exercises were all rather small in scale and could not be described as threatening shows of force. Overall, Beijing has declined to militarize its foreign policy toward the Middle East. Even when Trump in mid-2019 essentially invited the Chinese Navy to patrol the Strait of Hormuz, Chinese strategists answered with an unequivocal refusal. Likewise, Beijing has declined to join any military actions against the Houthis over the last few years, preferring to negotiate with the Houthis to secure passage for its ships through the contested waterway. China puts diplomacy rather than military might at the forefront of its foreign policy. True, Beijing maintains a military base at Djibouti. Yet that facility is notably situated next to bases from other foreign countries, including the US, France, and Japan. It's hardly a launching pad for globe-spanning power projection or regional aggression. More to the point, China has notched a number of diplomatic achievements in the Middle East in recent years. Its star has been rising steadily among Arab states, helped along no doubt by its sympathy for the Palestinians. But it's also been actively fostering development in much quieter corners of the Middle East, such as in countries like Morocco and Oman that are gradually changing the region's complexion. Most strikingly, Beijing set off a veritable foreign policy earthquake in the Persian Gulf when it announced that it had successfully mediated an Iran-Saudi rapprochement in 2023. We cannot rule out that this situation could still take a turn for the worse, especially now that Washington has shown a willingness to take offensive action against Iran. There have been rumors of secret Chinese flights into Iran. Even before the war, it was reported that Beijing was shipping key components for ballistic missiles to Tehran. One can also easily imagine how Pakistan might serve as a conduit for Chinese military aid to Iran. Washington should take note and act cautiously under the present circumstances. But let's not lose track of the fundamentals here. The bottom line is that China does not have a military alliance with Iran. Remarkably, despite decades of great power jostling in the Middle East, Beijing has not sold a single major weapons system to Tehran since the early 1990s. That is an impressive show of restraint from Beijing and one Washington ought to reflect on as it one again resorts to the major use of force in the Middle East. We might also recall that in previous great power crises in this volatile region, our rivals have sometimes been much more willing to go to the brink. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, both the US and the Soviet Union put their nuclear forces on alert as the Kremlin considered direct military intervention. In this present crisis, Russia is thoroughly distracted by the war in Ukraine and no longer able to throw its weight around the Middle East. Likewise, China is not inclined to increase its military involvement, which should thankfully set some kind of upper limit to the dangers for escalation if hostilities resume. Perhaps Beijing is wise to 'sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.' Washington would do well to take note of Chinese restraint as the situation with Iran is likely to remain fraught for the foreseeable future. Lyle Goldstein is director of the Asia Program at Defense Priorities.
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese engineers bring artillery-launched drones from concept to life
After 12 years of technical hurdles and scepticism, China has successfully tested artillery-launched drones capable of surviving the crushing load in a 155mm (6 inches) cannon shell. Five live-fire trials at a western test base confirmed the drones endured launch forces exceeding 3,000 times their own weight – comparable to 35 adult African elephants on a person. The advance centres on a pyrotechnic ejection mechanism co-developed by the Shaanxi Applied Physics and Chemistry Research Institute, the Chinese air force, and defence contractor Norinco. This highly reliable but low-cost system orchestrates a sequence of precisely timed detonations to separate the drone from its artillery shell mid-flight while shielding it from aerodynamic damage – all without electronic controls. These drones can 'reach distances exceeding 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) in seconds, multiply flight range, significantly save power consumption and extend loiter time,' the team, led by senior engineer Huang Yunluan, wrote. A look inside at the artillery-launched drone system. Photo: Shaanxi Applied Physics and Chemistry Research Institute First proposed by Chinese military scientists in 2013, a cannon-launching design named Tianyan ('sky eye') gained attention in a new-concept aircraft competition, according to state-run China News Service.
CNA
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese patrol planes
TOKYO: Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese military patrol planes over the weekend as two Chinese aircraft carriers operated in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's defence ministry said on Wednesday (Jun 11). On Saturday, a Chinese J-15 jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes, the ministry said. On Sunday, a J-15 chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900m, it said. At one point on both days, a Chinese J-15 flew as close as 45m to a Japanese aircraft, the ministry said. The P-3C aircraft, belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force based in the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific, the ministry said. "Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions, and we have expressed serious concern and strongly requested prevention of recurrence," the ministry said, attaching close-up images of the J-15 jet it took on Sunday.
Reuters
29-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Fact Check: Video shows China, Egypt joint military exercise, not Gaza aid drop
A video of a transport plane escorted by jets during a joint Chinese and Egyptian military exercise in April and early May has been miscaptioned online as footage of China air-dropping aid for Gaza. Chinese jets, helicopters and transport planes flew over Egypt during the countries' first joint air force exercises, the Chinese military said on May 5. On social media, a video of planes flying over the Egyptian pyramids, opens new tab shared on May 16 was captioned: 'China had recently promised to provide food aid to 60,000 families, and now it has fulfilled that promise. You can see the cargo plane carrying aid for Gaza, escorted by smaller aircraft for protection. The plane is entering Gaza through Egypt.' However, Egypt said the flight was a joint military exercise with China in Egypt and had nothing to do with aid to Gaza. A spokesperson for the Gaza government told Reuters no aid had been air-dropped there by China. The video was initially posted on TikTok, opens new tab on May 11 with no mention of Gaza. The caption, in Chinese, said it showed the Chinese Air Force flying over the Egyptian pyramids. The account did not respond to a request for comment. On May 6, the official Facebook page of the military spokesman of the Egyptian armed forces posted photos, opens new tab of the joint military exercise and Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV uploaded a video, opens new tab to YouTube about the exercise, saying it took place from April 19 to May 4. A military security source in Egypt told Reuters on May 20 that the video showed a joint military parade and had no connection to Gaza aid. The spokesperson's office for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters that they were not aware of the video shared online. 'China has cooperated with Egypt, Jordan and other parties to provide multiple batches of humanitarian supplies to Gaza,' and 'will continue to work tirelessly with the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and achieve peace and stability in the Middle East,' the office added. China's Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the government media office in the Gaza Strip, told Reuters on May 19 that China had not sent any humanitarian aid to Gaza through any relief airlifts and that China was not among the countries that participated in aerial delivery operations for aid. A spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said in a May 20 email to Reuters that no aid or commercial supplies entered Gaza between March 2 and May 19 through land, sea or air. Israel cleared nine trucks, opens new tab of goods to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing on May 19 and approved about 100 more emergency aid trucks the next day. Miscaptioned. The video shows a joint military exercise in Egypt, not the Chinese military air-dropping aid for Gaza. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
India.com
25-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
After Pakistan, this Muslim country may buy Chinese 5th generation fighter jet J-35, is it better than Rafale? Country is…, not Turkey, Saudi, UAE, Iran
After Pakistan, this Muslim country may buy Chinese 5th generation fighter jet J-35, is it better than Rafale? Country is..., not Turkey, Saudi, UAE, Iran Cairo: Pakistan announced the purchase of the 'Made In China' stealth fighter jet J-35 in January 2024. After a recent faceoff with India, it has been revealed that Beijing is going to deliver a few units of the J-35 fighter jets to Pakistan in the coming three months. As per several media reports, it is being revealed that after Pakistan, another Muslim country is showing interest in the China-made fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. A high-ranking officer of the Egyptian Air Force has shown interest in the J-35 aircraft. If Egypt really moves forward with purchasing the fighter jet, then this will indicate a major change in its military procurement strategy. According to Morocco-based outlet Defense Arabic, Egyptian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mahmoud Fuad Abdel Gawad had a discussion with Beijing regarding J-35 during the bilateral exercise 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' which was held at Wadi Abu Rish Air Base. During the meeting he looked very curious about J-35. Apart from this, Chinese officials were also giving information about their aircraft to the Egyptian Air Force officer with great interest. Will Egypt Buy Chinese Stealth Fighter Jets? However, the report of Egypt purchasing China's J-35 fighter jets has not been confirmed by either Cairo or Beijing. But this indicates to a major geopolitical change in the Middle East. Israel is already operating American F-35 stealth fighter jets to safeguard its borders. Notably, the Egyptian Air Force and Chinese Air Force organised a joint exercise called – 'Eagles of Civilisation 2025'. This indicates that the air forces of both countries are coming closer. This exercise, which was held at an airbase southeast of Cairo, included several advanced fighter jets such as China's J-10C multirole fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, Y-20 transport planes, and YU-20 aerial tankers. During this exercise, MiG-29M/M2 jets participated from Egypt's side. J-35 Fighter Jet J-35 or Gyrfalcon, is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet of China. It has been developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. The fighter aircraft is specially designed for stealth capability, high-tech avionics and multi-role missions. The fighter jet has a special shape and coating to avoid enemy radar. The double-engine fighter jet is loaded with AESA radar, infrared tracking, and a digital cockpit. J-35 is capable of carrying missiles and bombs like PL-10, PL-15. Notably, the Dragon has built the fighter jet to compete with stealth jets such as America's F-35 and F-22 Raptor. Beijing is now aiming to sell it to other countries. If Egypt decides to buy the J-35 from China, the decision will be a big setback for the French Rafale fighter jet. According to reports, talks are going on between Egypt and France regarding the Rafale. Egypt is also demanding technology transfer from France. In such a situation, there is now a possibility of major competition between the French Rafale and J-35 in Egypt.
