China's Limited Support for Iran Amid US Pressure
China's relationship with Iran is complex and multifaceted, with Beijing opposing US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on Tehran. However, few observers expect China to go beyond its modest economic links with Iran to shield it from US sanctions.
China has long been a rare partner to Iran, with the economic heft to blunt the US efforts to strangle the Iranian economy. Despite this, Chinese President Xi Jinping's relationship with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is heavily lopsided, with Tehran depending on Beijing far more than vice versa.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit saw Xi Jinping join more than a dozen non-Western leaders, including Pezeshkian, in a gathering widely seen as a counterbalance to US hegemony. However, the meeting between the two presidents was reportedly brief and made no headlines in Chinese outlets.
China's oil purchases have been an economic lifeline for Tehran, with Iranian crude accounting for about 2% of China's overall energy mix. Major state-owned refiners such as Sinopec and PetroChina have shunned Iranian oil due to fears of exposure to US sanctions, leaving the trade to independent 'teapot' refiners.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent estimated that only around 30 million barrels of Iranian oil remained on the water, with Chinese remittances to Iran expected to run out soon. China's broader interests in the region and its relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE make it unlikely to sacrifice its ties for the sake of Iran.