China This Week | Response to Iran war, Two Sessions meeting, and more heads roll

Over a week after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran and killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, there is no clarity on how or when the war will end. Concerns over a widening spread of the conflict have grown with Iran targeting US military bases in West Asia and the US attacking an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 people.

What has been reasonably predictable is China’s response. It condemned the US and Israel, issued advisories for its citizens in the region (with over 3,000 Chinese people evacuated from Iran), and expressed condolences over the death of one Chinese citizen in Iran.

While this was in line with its allyship with Iran and geopolitical rivalry with the US, some questioned whether the response was inadequate given China’s dominant position in global affairs today, and its past declarations of bonhomie with Iran (not to mention its energy interests).

Then, we turn to the annual Two Sessions policy meeting in Beijing, which began earlier this week. We detailed the downward revision of the GDP growth target for the year — the first such change in over 30 years — here, and what the Chinese economy requires today here.

Finally, we look at the latest in China’s ‘anti-corruption’ purge, which saw the removal of the top general in January. Since then, 19 officials (including nine from the military) have been removed from the national legislature, and three more from a consultative body.

Here is a closer look at these developments:

1. Why China reacted to West Asia’s events in the way that it did

Chinese leaders, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, spoke with leaders in the UAE, Israel, and Iran in the early days of the conflict. China also “strongly condemned” Khamenei’s assassination.

A Chinese spokesperson said that Zhai Jun, a special envoy for West Asia, will be sent to the region in the coming days to work on de-escalation. Spokespersons also reiterated the importance of the Strait of Hormuz as a trade passage in calls for de-escalation.

UPSHOT: China has important economic interests in Iran. It is a major buyer of Iranian oil, which has been under Western sanctions for decades now. It consumes around 80% of Iranian oil exports, which make up about 10 to 15% of China’s total crude oil imports.

Since the conflict began, ship-tracking data show that Chinese tanker and container ships have all but ceased transits, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said. Interestingly, the Financial Times also found that “a clutch of vessels trapped in the Gulf under enemy fire are adopting a tried-and-tested ruse to avoid attack: using transponders to declare themselves to be Chinese.” Officially, Iran has not commented on any exceptions for Chinese ships.

Strategically, China has provided diplomatic support to Iran in the past, including in brokering a normalisation agreement with Saudi Arabia in 2023. But its response, especially compared with the US’s overt attacks and intervention, is being read by some analysts as China leaving Iran to deal with its own problems.

Many analysts have offered another explanation, arguing that China and the US should not be compared in this domain. They contend that the response aligns with China’s unique way of operating, where, unlike the US, it does not see allies as necessitating a security guarantee. This was seen in the case of Venezuela, as well.

China has also focused on economic ties and diplomacy (such as through the inclusion of countries like Iran in BRICS and other global groupings), with little appetite for military entanglement. More than South America or West Asia, it seeks to focus on East Asia and its immediate neighbourhood.

2. Two Sessions’ prescription for the economy, and its limitations

The Two Sessions meetings happen every year in China in March. They involve the national legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), and an advisory body known as the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). It lasts for about 10 days.

This year, the meetings also saw the unveiling of the draft Five-Year Plan (FYP) for 2026-30. It comes as China faces several long-term domestic challenges, ranging from demography to the macroeconomic concerns of lagging consumption and demand.

UPSHOT: While the meeting highlighted the need for shifting away from the decades-old strategy of investment-heavy and exports-led economic growth, there may not be enough yet in terms of concrete action. Apart from structural changes, simpler attempts at boosting consumption have not been meaningfully adopted so far, analysts said.

However, from the global trade uncertainty to concerns over cheap Chinese goods flooding foreign markets, there are clear reasons for China to make the shift.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also addressed the media on the occasion. He said that 2026 will be a “big year” for China-US ties, with US President Donald Trump set to visit China towards the end of the month.

3. More removals in decade-old purge

Before the Two Sessions meeting, China removed officials from the NPC in late February. Li Qiaoming, commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Force and Shen Jinlong, a former PLA Navy commander, were among those removed, without any official reasoning, the BBC reported.

Then, just a week ago, three people were removed from the CPPCC, who earlier held key positions in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military force of the Chinese Communist Party.

UPSHOT: China’s President Xi Jinping on Saturday said that “There must be no one in the military who harbors disloyalty to the (ruling Communist) Party,” as reported by the state media.

Loyalty to the party and eradicating corruption have been central themes in Xi’s rise to power over the last decade. While often seen as a means for him to eliminate rivals and exercise total control, and a result of factional rivalries within the PLA, it is also true that corruption has been a genuine issue plaguing the PLA for decades.

But after years of Xi being in power, the purge shows no signs of letting up or even sparing his loyalists, with the downfall of General Zhang Youxia in January. It has many implications, including that Xi may still be unconvinced about the quality of his forces, on account of loyalty and/or efficiency. It also raises questions about his own choice of candidates and of combat preparedness at a time when China is aggressively stressing its claims on Taiwan.

Rishika Singh is a deputy copyeditor at the Explained Desk of The Indian Express. She enjoys writing on issues related to international relations, and in particular, likes to follow analyses of news from China. Additionally, she writes on developments related to politics and culture in India. ... Read More