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Opinion
When it comes to the Persian Gulf, China’s top priority is economics
Beijing’s refusal to pick sides between Iran and other Gulf states affirms its strategic positioning rather than a desire to shift paradigms
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Chenjie Song is a PhD researcher at Johns Hopkins University and a policy consultant focusing on Gulf political economy and China-Gulf relations.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference at the annual “two sessions” on March 8 was the Chinese government’s most authoritative statement on the war on Iran since strikes began on February 28. Wang called the war one that “should not have happened” and offered five principles for resolution: respect for sovereignty, rejection of force, non-interference in internal affairs, political settlement and goodwill among major powers.
Diplomatic language aside, Wang named no concrete enforcement mechanism. China has not done much beyond dispatching special envoy Zhai Jun to the region. This attitude confirms Beijing’s persistent strategy for Middle East engagement, one centred on preserving economic access rather than shaping political trajectory, and signals what is to come of China’s Persian Gulf policy for the rest of 2026.
On the Gulf specifically, Wang stated that “the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Iran and all countries in the Gulf region should be respected and must not be violated”, a phrasing deliberately vague on whose territory should be respected. At a press conference on March 10, spokesperson Guo Jiakun declined to confirm whether Zhai Jun’s mediation would involve the US and Israel.
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