Chinese officials have apparently urged Iran to stop its involvement in the Red Sea attacks by Iran-supported Houthis, announcing the possibility of negative effects on business relations with Beijing as per four Iranian sources as well as an official. Discussions about the incidents and the trade between China and Iran occurred at recent conferences at Beijing as well as Tehran.

An unnamed Iranian official said “China declares: “If our security interests are affected by any means this will affect the business relationship we have with Tehran. Tell the Houthis that they must be more restrained’.” But, Chinese officials did not provide a specific explanation of how Beijing’s commercial relations with Iran could be affected in the event that it was harmed through Houthi violence.

Even though China is Iran’s biggest trading partner in the past decade, their relation is not as smooth. Chinese refineries bought more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports in the last year because of US sanctions as well as the massive discounts given to Chinese businesses. However, Iranian oil only accounts for 10 percent of China’s crude imports.

Despite the significance of China in Iran the regional alliances of Tehran and its priorities, which include proxy arrangements that operate in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, greatly influence the way it makes decisions.

Source: timesofisrael.com