China's Low-Key Response to the Iran Crisis

China was among the first and most vocal opponents of the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. Curiously, though, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to launch military strikes against Iran as Tehran dealt with a massive popular uprising, China was largely silent.

Both Venezuela and Iran have high-level strategic partnerships with China, yet the Chinese leadership's responses to the crises in each country are radically different.

William (Bill) Figuerora, a leading China-Iran scholar and an assistant professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, joins Eric to discuss his latest CGSP column, which explains Beijing's low-key response and why the strategy is often misunderstood by many U.S. and European stakeholders.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:59 China's Reaction
02:35 Introducing the Guest - William (Bill) Figuerora
03:13 Why the Reaction from China is Different
05:18 The Protests Compared to Nepal, Kenya, Philippines Protests
06:26 China-Iran Relations
15:12 China's Response to Venezuela vs Iran's Response
18:49 Debunking the Myth of a Deep, All-weather China–Iran Alliance
21:48 Why China Won’t Intervene Militarily
25:10 Strait of Hormuz
29:50 Misguided Narratives
30:41 Israel's Importance to China
34:55 Conclusion

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