Fresh Air

A veteran diplomat breaks down the Iran war

To have a successful negotiation, you really need three elements. You need two parties who are willing and able and are prepared to use diplomacy, not to browbeat or to issue demands for each side, but to actually create some sort of balance of interest. Number two, you need a shared sense of urgency. And finally, you need an end product, some agreement, some deal, text.

China Decode

Is China Quietly Taking Control of the Iran Conflict? | China Decode

It allows China yet again to claim the diplomatic high ground from the US presenting itself as a peacemaker while leaving people to draw their own conclusions that the US is a wararmonger.

China Decode

China Walks a DANGEROUS Line as Iran War Escalates | China Decode

China is still a highly transactional power. It doesn't have allies with the exception of one and that is North Korea. It has a formal treaty with North Korea signed in 1961. But aside from that, China has no treaty obligation to go in and protect and defend any other country were that country to be attacked.