Author: Shameneh Majid
Claim: China says it will support Iran in case of an imminent US-Iran war.
Fact: The claim is false. China is a long-standing trading partner of Iran and shares a positive diplomatic relationship. However, no officials have offered open support for Iran in the scenario of a US-Iran war.
On 17 January, an Instagram post claimed China has expressed explicit support for Iran. The post included an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping along with an image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, implying that the Chinese President had issued such a statement.
Fact or Fiction?
Diplomatic and trade relations have been largely positive between China and Iran in recent years with bilateral trade totalling to $14.7 billion as of 2023. Amid the recent anti-government protests in Iran and escalation of tensions with the US, Chinese officials have expressed solidarity with Iran. On 28 January, Fu Cong, Chinese ambassador to the UN stated, “The use of force cannot solve problems. Any acts of military adventurism will only push the region into an abyss of unpredictability.” While Cong called on the US and “other relevant parties” to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, he added that China calls on “all parties to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, publicly reiterated that China believes in the sovereignty and security of foreign countries, and called for restraint after President Trump threatened military intervention over the Iranian state’s crackdown on protests.
Moreover, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi in mid-January and stated that China is committed to the United Nations’ Charter as well as international law, and it will uphold those principles in all situations.
Wang Yi further communicated that China still does encourage peace, restraint and collaboration above all violence, opposing the use of threat or force in international relations.
Soch Fact Check could not find any official statements or comments by the Chinese Foreign Office or President Xi Jinping saying that the country will support Iran against the US in the event of a war between them.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that the claim is false.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found that the claim has been shared on Facebook here
On Instagram, it was shared here.
Conclusion:
The claim is false and exaggerates the nature of China’s support for Iran.
Background image in cover photo: Fox Business
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