Yle: China may intervene in the Iranian crisis

March 18 2026 18 759 25

China may intervene in the Middle East war if it escalates, according to Finnish economist Jari Eloranta, quoted by Yle.

The United States is getting closer and closer to a situation where it could attack Iran's oil infrastructure. It's a very bad sign that war is approaching a point where such attacks will become commonplace.

– Eloranta declares.

According to the analyst, attacks on Iran's oil production industry will likely lead to Iran launching retaliatory strikes against similar infrastructure in other Gulf states. So far, such attacks have been limited.

This would have led to a much larger and more chaotic crisis. China would then have become involved in the conflict, as Iranian oil is important to it.

– Professor Eloranta reflects.

Previously, a video surfaced in the media allegedly depicting the mass production of Shahed-136 drones in Chinese workshops for subsequent shipment to the Islamic Republic. However, the video's authenticity is questionable.

There were also reports of possible deliveries of Chinese SM-302 anti-ship missiles to Iran, but Beijing officially denied these accusations.

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Alexander

+4

18 March 2026 22: 03

China may intervene... if there is an escalation.

He will never interfere. He will live on the oil reserves, waiting "for the enemy's corpse to float by."
PS: This is their folk wisdom.
1. sgrabik
  
  -1
  
  21 March 2026 13: 16
  
  This is complete nonsense. China is closely observing, studying, and learning from ongoing military conflicts. Its army is one of the largest and most modern in the world. And most importantly, everything has its limits, and any patience eventually runs out. China is waiting for the most opportune moment to resolve the Taiwan issue. And no one is going to give up on Iran just like that.
Kiril

+7

18 March 2026 22: 13

And what will China do without the advice of Finnish worthlessness?
Nick. WITH

0

18 March 2026 23: 03

China can't.
1. Jackie
  
  -2
  
  19 March 2026 08: 59
  
  China may intervene...
  
  China can, but it always acts on the principle of contemplation... of the enemy's corpse floating past
  1. Dmitriev
    
    0
    
    20 March 2026 12: 47
    
    That will be his undoing.
Roman070280

0

18 March 2026 23: 03

Then China would also intervene in the conflict,

And how would he intervene?
They blurt out nonsense, that's all the analysis...

The US is now dragging Ukraine into trouble and is stuck in Iran. China should be solving its problem with Taiwan, but it's even afraid of that.
1. Nick. WITH
  
  +1
  
  19 March 2026 01: 18
  
  China can only apply economic pressure; it will not get involved in a war.
  1. sgrabik
    
    0
    
    21 March 2026 13: 22
    
    I wouldn't be so sure, China could decide at any moment to resolve the issue using military force, its army is already quite capable of this.
2. Jackie
  
  0
  
  19 March 2026 09: 05
  
  ...well, the Finns are still hoping that we will finally "capture" them.
Igor M.

0

18 March 2026 23: 11

Alas, it's already begun. Iran has struck the oil and gas industries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain. They're reporting that the bridge linking Bahrain to the mainland was destroyed or damaged—an oil refinery was located nearby. But China remains silent.
1. Roman070280
  
  0
  
  18 March 2026 23: 28
  Yes, it's beautiful..
  1. Igor M.
    
    +1
    
    19 March 2026 02: 10
    
    Roman070280, I agree with the Omani Foreign Minister:
    
    Iran's response to what it calls American targets in neighboring countries is an inevitable result, albeit regrettable and unacceptable.
    
    There is nothing beautiful here.
2. Kwasar
  
  0
  
  19 March 2026 08: 33
  
  I'd like to add that this was a response to the bombing of South Pars and Trump's strange statements (like, we didn't know anything, and if we did, well, here you go, etc.). Israel also attacked Iran's Caspian port today. So the retaliation was entirely justified.
prior

0

19 March 2026 09: 12

Probably many would like to involve China in this or any other military conflict.
But living in a "glass house", China will not be the first to throw "stones".
Rising oil prices are not an existential threat for China.
1. Vladimir Tuzakov
  
  +1
  
  19 March 2026 15: 59
  
  For now, Iran is allowing tankers to pass through and send them to China. But if these US tankers start being held up, that would be a different story. Conclusion: as long as China's interests aren't directly affected, it will continue to operate economically by stealth.
  1. Dmitriev
    
    -2
    
    20 March 2026 12: 49
    
    Nothing will change, China can't handle it, as they say, giving a final warning is not like unloading a coal car.
    1. Vladimir Tuzakov
      
      +1
      
      20 March 2026 17: 03
      
      Today, the PLA won't yet begin using force, but who knows what will happen tomorrow. The PLA's growing strength must eventually reach a point where the helmsman will say, "The fruits are ripe, time to reap the harvest."
      1. Dmitriev
        
        0
        
        22 March 2026 08: 41
        
        And who will allow him to reach such a level?)
        
        Vladimir Tuzakov
        
        0
        
        22 March 2026 12: 22
        
        This may not be allowed for the Russian Federation, which is what is happening. China and the US are already afraid, so who can stop it when everyone is afraid.
Alexander Petrovsky

0

20 March 2026 10: 37

China's dependence on oil and gas for energy is zero, around 3%. It's needed for industry, plus jet fuel for aircraft and diesel for freight transport. China has a strategic oil reserve of 100-130 days, and let's not forget the accommodating Russian leadership right there. As for the theocracy, they've been screwing the Chinese since 14, unilaterally terminating investment contracts without compensation. If I were the Chinese, I'd remember these "friends." But using these fanatics—why not? They're just proxies, like the crests from the SGA. They can also issue weapons and military specialists, ruining the US military budget. The more problems the Americans have now, the longer the inevitable attack on China itself is delayed. More time = more nuclear warheads for the PLA. They're doing the right thing.
1. Dmitriev
  
  -2
  
  20 March 2026 12: 50
  
  Yeah, and in the meantime, Red is testing out his Pacific fleet before the big war.
  1. sgrabik
    
    +1
    
    21 March 2026 13: 35
    
    Yes, we see how he is testing his fleet, one mistake after another. If Iran had a modern anti-ship hypersonic missile, the mattresses would have been feeding the fish long ago, but ours, as always, do not want to share their "Tsirkons", although the moment for this is simply ideal.
    1. Dmitriev
      
      0
      
      22 March 2026 07: 05
      
      If grandma had balls, she'd be a grandpa. And the testing is ongoing; this mess was started with the goal of identifying the flaws, or rather, with one of the goals (in my opinion).
      And please list these mistakes (no need to touch on the fecal issue).
      And it’s not for us to make fun of them; at least they had enough sense not to expose the fleet’s flagship without cover to an anti-ship missile attack.
Sergey Mitinsky

0

25 March 2026 16: 13

So China is already intervening in this crisis only with supplies and assistance from its satellites, and what happens next depends on the US

China may not send its own soldiers, but may use North Korean fighters as proxies.

These guys have already shown that they can kick anyone's ass, and they have a special score to settle with the Americans.

So Israel has everything ahead of it and nothing good is in store for now.

This is not the war they were preparing for, repeating Russia's mistake of four years ago.

They thought they would have an easy ride finishing off a weakened Iran, but it wasn't to be.

And these people are lying to themselves that if they just start attacking, a revolution will immediately break out in Iran—that's just the end of such unprofessionalism. But apparently, even realizing that all these expectations are just fairy tales, Israel still went for escalation, deciding for itself that time is on Iran's side, and if the operation is delayed, it might not be in time.

The Russian leadership thought about the same thing and also miscalculated.

The only difference is that Russia has enough reserves for a war of attrition, but Israel doesn't have enough because all their reserves are in Washington, and I'm not sure the US won't back down at some point. This isn't their war.