China’s Xi Jinping pledges support to Iran and Iraq

China is pushing for a bigger role in the Middle East, with President Xi Jinping engaging the Iranian and Iraqi leaders with pledges of help, as the United States beats a hasty retreat from Afghanistan and remains in a deadlock with Iran.

It was a stark contrast to the diminishing role of the US in the Middle East — where Tehran is stepping up its nuclear programme — and further afield in Afghanistan, where the evacuation from Kabul has drawn comparisons with the end of the Vietnam war in 1975.

China would work with the Middle Eastern nations to build a “collective security mechanism” for the region.
China is one of the few countries to maintain good relations with the Arab countries as well as Israel and Iran.

China is one of the few countries to maintain good relations with the Arab countries as well as Israel and Iran. Iran, China has pledged to strengthen ties with Tehran and opposed sanctions against the nation.