China is Iran’s biggest oil buyer and has long been diplomatically close to the Islamic Republic, so how has Beijing reacted now that Tehran is under attack?

Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

China has strongly condemned the US strikes on its strategic partner, but will Chinese support for Iran go beyond rhetoric?

And what does the conflict engulfing the Middle East say about China’s efforts to become a bigger diplomatic player in the region?

In this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi is joined by BBC China correspondent Laura Bicker and William Figuero, a China-Iran specialist at the University of Groningen to unpack how the world’s other superpower views the US-Israeli attacks on Tehran.

00:00 Introduction
01:15 China’s reaction to the US-Israeli attack on Iran
03:33 China and Iran alliance
06:03 Did China factor into the US decision to strike Iran?
10:46 Where does the Iran-China relationship stand?
12:51 What technical support does China provide Iran?
14:13 Military support between China and Iran
16:23 Beijing’s ties with Saudi Arabia and its role in restoring Iran-Saudi relations
18:40 Could US actions in Iran and Venezuela shift Beijing’s thinking on Taiwan?
19:50 What happens if there’s a disruption to oil supplies?
21:30 What might China do next in the Middle East crisis?

Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 • Asia Specific

Instagram: @bbcworldservice
Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Mariko Oi
Producers: Derek Cai
Camera: Khairul Danish Bin Mohd Roslee, Rosalehin Bin Rosli, Aimran Supardi
Editor: Bill Birtles

[…]