{"id":121947,"date":"2025-06-17T17:05:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T15:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=121947"},"modified":"2025-06-17T07:00:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T05:00:40","slug":"17-09-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=121947","title":{"rendered":"Israel Just Ended China&#8217;s Great Power Status in the Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/images\/gatestone-logo-1000.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"50%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/21687\/israel-iran-china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Israel Just Ended China&#8217;s Great Power Status in the Middle East<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Gordon G. Chang<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<ul class=\"content_preface_bullets\">\n<li><strong>&#8220;There were some very, very relieved people in the Gulf as the sun rose this morning&#8230;. The Saudis know that China had armed their enemy Iran with nukes and lesser weapons and fully backed the Houthis, who have been waging war on the Kingdom for years.&#8221; \u2014 Jonathan Bass, Chief Executive Officer, Argent LNG, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>&#8220;The Chinese state is only as strong as its main energy provider, and that main energy provider, which so far has not been able to counter Israeli strikes, is unlikely to survive this war in its current form.&#8221; \u2014 Brandon Weichert, author of\u00a0<i>The Shadow War: Iran&#8217;s Quest for Supremacy<\/i>, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>&#8220;With the loss of Syria and Hezbollah, Iran no longer has a command and control center in Damascus, only a two hour drive from Beirut. That means China can no longer manipulate events there.&#8221; \u2014 Jonathan Bass, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>China has a Trump problem in the wider region as well. With the exception of Iran, almost everybody, including Iran&#8217;s partner Qatar, seems to love the American president. Trump took the Gulf by storm in his three-nation \u2014 Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates \u2014 trip in May.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/pics\/5390.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Narratives will change as the fighting between Iran and Israel continues, but one conclusion is already evident: China, Iran&#8217;s long-time backer, is a victim of the fighting. That is a quick reversal of fortunes. Only last year, the Chinese looked ascendant in the region. Pictured: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (L) and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi meet on March 14, 2025 in Beijing. (Photo by Getty Images)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israeli air and drone strikes during the early hours of June 13th crippled Iran &#8212; and severely set back Tehran&#8217;s regional ambitions. The Israel Defense Forces hit nuclear weapons development facilities and ballistic missile sites, and killed senior military officers, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the armed forces chief of staff, and Major General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Iranian media\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/worldisraelnews.com\/idf-eliminates-30-senior-iranian-officers-khameinis-top-adviser\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced<\/a>\u00a0the death of Ali Shamkhani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei&#8217;s top adviser.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Tehran\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/iran-calls-israeli-strikes-declaration-war-swiftly-replaces-killed-military-leaders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>\u00a0that Israel&#8217;s action was a &#8220;declaration of war.&#8221; This war is continuing, and Iran has struck back with ballistic missile and drone attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Narratives will change as the fighting continues, but one conclusion is already evident: China, Iran&#8217;s long-time backer, is a victim of the fighting. That is a quick reversal of fortunes. Only last year, the Chinese looked ascendant in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">&#8220;China is closely following Israel&#8217;s attacks on Iran and is deeply concerned about the potential grave consequences of the operations,&#8221; the Chinese foreign ministry\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/spoxchn_linjian\/status\/1933520935212232809?s=61\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stated<\/a>\u00a0on X a few hours after the initial attacks. &#8220;China opposes actions that violate Iran&#8217;s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes moves that escalate tensions or enlarge conflicts.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">&#8220;China stands ready to play a constructive role in helping ease the situation,&#8221; it added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Beijing may stand ready, but, apart from the Iranian regime itself, the region is not looking for Chinese assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">For instance, Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states are, as academic and analyst Christopher Balding put it, &#8220;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/baldingsworld\/status\/1933515654310584744?s=61\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quietly happy<\/a>&#8221; that Israel has set back Iran in general and its nuclear weapons program in particular. &#8220;There were some very, very relieved people in the Gulf as the sun rose this morning,&#8221; Jonathan Bass told Gatestone the day after Israel&#8217;s initial attack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As Bass, who travels extensively in the region for Argent LNG points out, the losses sustained by the Iranian military and the IRGC give the Sunni Muslim states fewer reasons to cooperate with Tehran. &#8220;The Saudis were not particularly happy with Chinese attempts to forge a relationship between them and the Iranians,&#8221; Bass said. &#8220;The March 2023 deal was not popular in the Kingdom.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Bass was referring to the China-brokered pact that led long-time enemies Riyadh and Tehran to reestablish diplomatic relations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">&#8220;The Saudis,&#8221; Bass pointed out, &#8220;know that China had armed their enemy Iran with nukes and lesser weapons and fully backed the Houthis, who have been waging war on the Kingdom for years.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Yes,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/middle-east\/iran-news\/article-857701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Chinese regime did all that<\/a>, and the Kingdom has been looking for payback for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Beijing may also suffer another setback. China has been taking more than 90% of Iran&#8217;s exports of crude oil in recent years. Israeli strikes on June 14th\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/middle-east\/iran-news\/article-857701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hit a processing plant<\/a>\u00a0in Iran&#8217;s South Pars gas field, the world&#8217;s largest. There are reports that Israel also attacked Iran&#8217;s Abadan oil refinery. If the strikes on Iranian energy sites continue, Beijing could soon be scrambling for hydrocarbons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">&#8220;As Iran&#8217;s largest purchaser of energy, China stands the most to lose from the potential fall of Iran&#8217;s theocracy,&#8221; Brandon Weichert, author of\u00a0<i><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Shadow-War-Irans-Quest-Supremacy\/dp\/164572056X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Shadow War: Iran&#8217;s Quest for Supremacy<\/a><\/i>, told this site. &#8220;The Chinese state is only as strong as its main energy provider, and that main energy provider, which so far has not been able to counter Israeli strikes, is unlikely to survive this war in its current form.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The possible loss of the Iranian regime reverses two years of fast Chinese progress in the region. &#8220;China is the head, Iran is the shoulder, Qatar is the elbow, and the proxies\u2014Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah\u2014are the fingers,&#8221; Bass notes. &#8220;Without the shoulder, the head cannot move either the elbow or the fingers.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The decimation of Iran also sets back China in another crucial part of the region. &#8220;With the loss of Syria and Hezbollah, Iran no longer has a command and control center in Damascus, only a two-hour drive from Beirut,&#8221; Bass points out. &#8220;That means China can no longer manipulate events there.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Syria, once a promising target for Chinese domination, is leaving Beijing&#8217;s sphere of influence. The country&#8217;s new leader, former militant Ahmed al-Sharaa, is\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/gordon-chang-trump-reshape-middle-east-outfox-china-one-stunning-move\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fast moving Syria<\/a>\u00a0closer to the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Sharaa has a willing partner: U.S. President Donald J. Trump. While in Saudi Arabia last month, Trump met with Sharaa after announcing that the U.S. would drop its Assad-era sanctions on his country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">China has a Trump problem in the wider region as well. With the exception of Iran, almost everybody, including Iran&#8217;s partner Qatar, expresses love for the American president. Trump took the Gulf by storm in his three-nation \u2014 Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates \u2014 trip in May.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Chinese leaders obviously thought that their backing of Iran would let them ride into control of the region. A proxy war is a sly maneuver when the proxies do well, but it can lead to disaster when the proxies are being ground into the dust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">China&#8217;s proxies \u2014 and China itself \u2014 are now being ground into the dust.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><strong>Gordon G. Chang<\/strong> is the author of<\/i>\u00a0<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Plan-Red-Project-Destroy-America-ebook\/dp\/B0D5DRVZ46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Plan Red: China&#8217;s Project to Destroy America<\/a>,<i>\u00a0a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel Just Ended China&#8217;s Great Power Status in the Middle East Gordon G. Chang &#8220;There were some very, very relieved people in the Gulf as the sun rose this morning&#8230;. The Saudis know that China had armed their enemy Iran with nukes and lesser weapons and fully backed the Houthis, who have been waging war [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121947"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121957,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121947\/revisions\/121957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}