Why China may not act in Iran even though it has ‘more to lose’ than in Venezuela

China has “more to lose” compared with Venezuela if Iran’s rulers should fall, according to diplomatic observers, but it is expected to avoid direct intervention.

The country is facing a wave of anti-government protests fuelled by economic hardship in which hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters are thought to have been killed.

US President Donald Trump has said he was looking at “some very strong options” and this week announced a new set of tariffs targeting countries that maintained commercial ties with Tehran.

US officials told The Wall Street Journal that Washington was considering a range of actions, including military strikes, the use of cyber weapons or further sanctions.

The country has much more strategic weight for Beijing in comparison with Latin America, and any US intervention would hurt Chinese economic interests and erode its influence in the Middle East.

Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute, said Beijing would view the unfolding situation with “more urgency” compared with Venezuela, but was unlikely to get too closely involved.