China’s diplomatic clout in Mideast at risk as threats build around ally Iran

Name: Who are the groups vying for control in post-Assad Syria?
Uploaded: 2024-12-23T06:20:37.000Z
Duration: 8 min 1 s
Description: Who are the groups vying for control in post-Assad Syria?

Trump factor and fall of Assad in Syria will force nations, including China, to reassess ties

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In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 16th Brics summit in Kazan, Russia. Photo: Xinhua

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 2:20pm, 23 Dec 2024Updated: 4:36pm, 23 Dec 2024

When Beijing brokered a historic peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, it was seen as a milestone for China’s proactive engagement with the Middle East.

For Tehran, which has been under economic and geopolitical pressure from US President Joe Biden’s administration, the deal marked a diplomatic breakthrough and a potential opportunity to end isolation, with Beijing’s help.

However, with the downfall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, and the catastrophic loss of Hamas and Hezbollah during its war against Israel, Tehran faces mounting geopolitical threats with splintered regional proxies.

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Who are the groups vying for control in post-Assad Syria?

Experts said that with Donald Trump’s hawkish Middle East policy cabinet, China-Iran relations were likely to strengthen under the common pressure.

But China’s ability to remain a mediator could be at risk amid the growing possibility of confrontation between Tehran and regional powers, which could complicate China’s diplomatic legacy in the region.

Fan Hongda, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, said the next US administration was almost certain to keep putting strong pressure on Iran.

“Coupled with Israel’s pounding and destruction of Iranian-backed forces such as Hamas and Hezbollah over the past year … [this] will force Iran to opt for closer cooperation with other powers, including China and Russia,” Fan said.