China has dismissed reports that it supplied or plans to supply weapons to Iran as “baseless smears,” after multiple outlets cited US intelligence accusing Beijing of potentially entering the war indirectly.
“China has always adopted a cautious and responsible attitude towards the export of military items, implementing strict controls in accordance with its own export control laws and regulations and its international obligations. We oppose baseless smears or malicious association,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated at a regular briefing on Monday.
Reports first published by CNN and later cited by Reuters and The New York Times said US intelligence assesses that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within weeks, citing three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments.
CNN reported indications that Beijing is working to route the shipments through third countries to conceal their origin. The report said China is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, while citing unnamed sources.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington also addressed the claims, seeking to make clear that Beijing “has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict” and urged the United States to avoid leveling such baseless charges.
This accusation first surfaced shortly before US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad collapsed, and was followed by an escalation in tensions as Washington imposed a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, over the weekend, when he was asked by reporters about reports that China is sending the weapons, the president responded that “if China does that, China will have big problems, OK?”
Recall too that in early April an American pilot whose F-15 jet was shot down over Iran was rescued after evading capture for more than a day in a dramatic special forces raid into Iran – this is at least according to the official story anyway.
It’s widely believed that this shootdown was the result of Iranians deploying MANPADs or other smaller, mobile anti-air defense system. It came after both the US and Israel declared total air superiority and freedom of action over Iran’s skies.
Amid China’s denials and the ongoing speculation, what is for sure is that Russia and Iran have military ties which run deeper, given especially they are running a joint Shahed drone program related to the Ukraine war. Western mainstream media has also been eager to true and tie ‘rogue’ Beijing in with some kind of Tehran-Moscow-Beijing nexus.