What’s behind China’s careful response to its ally Iran after US-Israel strikes?

A man with an Iranian flag surveys the damaged facade of Gandhi Hospital, which was hit on Sunday during the US-Israel strikes. Photo: AP

The joint US-Israel strikes on Iran , which have plunged the Middle East into deeper turmoil, have received qualified support from some countries and condemnation from others.
China – which confirmed the death of one Chinese national in Iran and the evacuation of its 3,000 citizens from the country – partnered with Russia on Saturday to hold an emergency session of the UN Security Council and condemned the military action.

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US-Israeli strikes intensify in Iran as Trump warns of more casualties

US-Israeli strikes intensify in Iran as Trump warns of more casualties
In a call on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, denounced the strikes and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Iran’s supreme leader, as “unacceptable”.

“The international community should send a clear and unambiguous message against the world reverting to the law of the jungle,” he said.

But apart from that, Beijing – which has a comprehensive strategic partnership with Tehran – has stopped short of offering concrete help, just as it did when Israel launched attacks on Iran’s military and nuclear sites in June last year.

Why such a restrained response?