China Stays On Sidelines While Iran Under Pressure

China is basically Iran's biggest customer, keeping their money flowing by buying almost all their oil. But that friendship only goes so far. Even with the US and Israel hitting Iran hard lately, Beijing has stayed pretty quiet. They’ve voiced their disapproval of the attacks, but they haven't actually stepped up to help Iran with its defense.

With a Trump-Xi summit coming up, China seems keen to avoid getting involved in the fighting. Its relationship with Iran isn’t as strong as it looks—promised investments have fallen short, military cooperation is limited, and Beijing still needs to keep ties with Iran’s regional rivals. Rather than take sides, China appears focused on projecting stability and staying on the sidelines.

By joining China-led groups like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran helps Beijing challenge US influence and boost its standing with the Global South. Still, China’s relationship with Tehran is mostly practical—it’s not nearly as close or strategically important as its ties with Russia.

For China, Iran is a minor trading partner, accounting for less than 1% of its massive economy. But the reverse is very different—about a third of Iran’s trade goes to Beijing, showing just how one-sided the relationship is. In 2021, China and Iran made headlines with a 25-year strategic deal that promised as much as $400 billion in investment. But in reality, according to Bloomberg, only a small fraction—around $2 to $3 billion—has actually been delivered. In 2023, two years after signing the big deal, then-President Ebrahim Raisi, on his way to Beijing, called the economic ties “unsatisfactory” and warned that the relationship had seen a “serious regression.”

When it comes to military ties, China hasn’t sold weapons to Iran since 2005, after UN sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program. Before that, it supplied missiles, aircraft, and artillery, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The latest reports suggest China may have discussed sending missiles and air-defense systems to Iran, but neither side has confirmed anything. So far, no Chinese weapons have appeared on the battlefield.

China’s muted response probably didn’t surprise Iran. During Israel’s June 2025 strike on its nuclear sites, Beijing mostly protested verbally, and its reaction to the latest strikes that killed Khamenei has been even quieter. China’s approach is calculated. It has huge economic stakes in the Middle East but little ability—or desire—to get involved in the region’s politics. For now, it’s standing on the sidelines as Iran is hit. But when the rebuilding begins, China is likely to play a bigger role.