“[China] opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one’s own will on others and opposes a return of the world to the law of the jungle,” he said, adding that Beijing was willing to play a “constructive role” in resolving differences through dialogue.
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Observers said China’s muted response to the US-Iran tensions reflected a strategy of restraint, balancing vital energy interests with long-standing diplomatic principles and a cautious recalibration of its Middle East approach.
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Zhang Xin, deputy director of the Centre for Russian Studies at Shanghai-based East China Normal University, described Beijing’s position so far as “extremely restrained and conservative, with no indication that it wants to intervene in a more direct way”.
