As Israel and Iran engaged in an unprecedented exchange of attacks, Beijing has offered little beyond calls for de-escalation. - Photo: AFP
BEIJING: China has been able to do little more than stand back and watch as war between its key partner Iran and Israel harms its hard-fought leverage in the Middle East, analysts say.
Beijing has sought to frame itself as a mediator in the region, facilitating a 2023 rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and portraying itself as a more neutral actor in the Israel-Palestinian conflict than its rival the United States.
