China's Great Wall of Steel

"It is necessary to speak to invaders in the language they know."

"That is, a war must be fought to deter invasion, and a victory is needed to win peace and respect." 

Chinese President Xi Jinping 

 

"The strategic takeaway for China is pretty simple."

"Don't assume your adversaries will pay by the rules. They may strike without warning, and they may do whatever it takes, ignoring both the results of the game and the rules of war."

Song Zonping, former Chinese military officer 

Smoke plumes rise following missile strikes in Tehran on 1 March 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

 

"On 28 February, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Fu Cong pointed out at a UN meeting that the US and Israel had brazenly launched military strikes against targets inside Iran, causing a sudden escalation of regional tensions. He added that China is deeply concerned about this development, and that China consistently advocates that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and opposes and condemns the use or threat of force in international relations." 

"Though Fu said that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran had led to a sudden escalation in the regional situation, he too avoided using the word “condemn”. In contrast, Russia’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the US and Israel for launching “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression” against Iran, which violated “fundamental principles and norms of international law”."

Yu Zeyuan, Think China   

While China may be a trifle more circumspect in its reaction to the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran,than Russia, both allies of the Islamic Republic, condemnation in whatever form it takes is rather absurd in light of China's constant harassment and threats against Taiwan, with its intention of 

'unification', clearly against the breakaway republic's best interests and in view of China having flouted international law in Tibet, Mongolia and Xinjiang. As for Russia's characterization of the U.S.-Israel's 'preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression', that fairly well describes Russia's annexation of Crimea and full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 

Xi Jinping's strategy of warning his population against America's aspirations of world dominance by armed force has been nicely validated, in his view, by recent events. Previous U.S. interventions in conflict areas around the world motivated Mr. Xi to direct his military elite of the necessity to construct a world-class military for China to perform the function of a "Great wall of Steel" as a deterrent to any potential invasion plans by the United States of America. This, while Beijing continues to threaten its near neighbours in its drive toward control of strategic water, air and ground; contested areas where it seeks dominance.

 

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping react after posing for photos ahead of a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025, in Busan, South Korea. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

 

There can be no doubt that the spectre of raw-brute American military forces reaching out to challenge the Iranian regime and in the process summarily decapitating its executive head, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have caused a certain amount of heartburn in Beijing. Despite practical assurances that the U.S. would never assume that a similar type of attack might succeed in China, a global powerhouse rivalling that of the U.S. According to political scientist Zheng Yongnian of Hong Kong's Chinese University, the U.S. manipulated Israel to serve as a conduit for war with Iran.

 

"Beijing now sees more clearly the extent of American capabilities", leading it to take a "sober look at the balance of power", offered Shen Dingli, international relations expert in Shanghai. The People's Liberation Army posted a graphic on social media listing lessons from the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran; stressing the importance of 'superior firepower'. China must guard against 'the enemy within' topped the military's list, in reference to the concerns over foreign spying ... of which just incidentally, China itself has become extraordinarily skilled at, in other countries worldwide. 

 

According to Chinese analysts, the United States has emerged as a more unpredictable and dangerous challenger to China's own aspirations, making it imperative that China become increasingly vigilant. "The decision to strike while talks were underway conveys a disturbing precedent: Diplomacy is not a forum for sovereign equals but an instrument subject to the whims of the dominant power", an editorial in Chinese state media pointed out. Perhaps somewhat akin to China's own use of its very own special 'hostage diplomacy'.

 

The EuroAsian Times

 

"From Beijing's perspective, the United States may frame its actions as a pursuit of peace, but what it really offers is peace through domination or containment."

"Xi doesn't want that for China. He wants peace through Chinese victory."

Kirsten Asdal, Asdal Advisory Group