One of the most crucial issues hovering over the recent Israel-US-Iran war and the future of the standoff between these countries has little to do with them, but rather with another major power: China.
To date, China has managed to maintain mostly positive relations with both Tehran and Jerusalem. In economic terms, China has been an important trade partner to both countries, with trade with Israel in 2024 estimated at between $22-24 billion and in 2025, estimated at around $27 billion, making Beijing one of Israel’s largest trade partners.
Chinese airlines were one of the few airlines that kept flying to Israel during portions of the recent years of wars, when most other foreign airlines had canceled their flights much earlier.
And the two countries have genuine and substantial respect for each other’s long-standing ancient histories and cultures.
However, the dispute between the Jewish state and Beijing over Iran has significantly rankled those relations at times.
The Jerusalem Post, over the years and more recently, has spoken to numerous Israeli, Chinese, and American officials about the situation to try to better understand the sides’ positions on the hot-button issues in the dispute.
While there are differences in views on other issues, like Gaza, this article focuses on disputes regarding Iran relating to: ballistic missiles, air defenses, spy satellites, and indirectly, allegations that Israel has provided air defense technologies to Taiwan.
At the outset, it can be said that China and Israel are on the same page in opposing Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
However, after that, the sides part ways on Iran.
Even regarding the nuclear issue, China has opposed Israel’s use of force to prevent Iran’s potential to advance toward a weapon, emphasizing the diplomatic arena instead.
Other disagreements are on both strategic and tactical issues.
For example, the US got closer than ever to Israel militarily launching the recent joint war against the Islamic regime.
Not only does China oppose the war, but it is also gratified if and when Washington gets stuck in a quagmire, which will drain its resources, energy, and attention from other geopolitical issues.
In some cases, China has directly benefited from US President Donald Trump’s conduct of the Iran war and diplomacy surrounding it, by stepping in to become closer to countries that might otherwise be stalwart US allies.
But these issues are in some ways more between Beijing and Washington, with Israel being impacted indirectly.
The real Israel-China-Iran issues start with air defense.
China does not specifically confirm selling air defense systems to Iran, but its view is that it has the right to sell such air defense items to Iran, since the purpose is defense.
Interestingly, China also criticizes Israel for allegedly providing air defense technology to Taiwan.
Numerous foreign reports have said that Taiwan’s TDOME and other air defense progress by Taipei has been with quiet Israeli help.
Israel has not publicly commented on such allegations, and Rafael, the developer of Iron Dome, had not commented on the issue at press time, but the absence of a clear denial in this sensitive case likely signals there is some truth to the allegations.
Pressed about whether an exchange would be possible in which Israel stops assisting Taiwanese air defense, and China ceases to help with Iranian air defense, the Post understands that China would reject such equivalency.
Rather, China believes it has the right to sell defensive items to Iran, but that Israel cannot sell such items to Taiwan because it views Taipei as part of its own country and sovereignty.
Next, there are allegations that in 2024, China sold a spy satellite to Iran, which Tehran used against the US during the recent war.
The Financial Times reported in mid-April that Iran secretly acquired the Chinese spy satellite in late 2024, allowing it to target US military bases across the Middle East, an account Beijing has dismissed as untrue.
According to that report, The TEE-01B satellite, which Chinese company Earth Eye Co. built and launched, was acquired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force after Beijing had already launched it into space, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major U.S. military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, the Financial Times said.
As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across Asia, Latin America, and other regions, according to the report.
The Chinese foreign ministry at the time denied the report, calling it untrue, and adding, “Recently, some forces have been keen on fabricating rumors and maliciously associating them with China. China firmly opposes this kind of practice driven by ulterior motives.”
While China, on record, denies that it has assisted Iran offensively in any way regarding the satellite in question, the Post understands that the Chinese view is that it is not prohibited from selling commercial satellites to Iran.
In fact, many countries buy and sell commercial satellites, which could potentially have dual-use commercial and spying purposes.
While these other issues are important to both the US and Israel, they pale in comparison to the question of whether China has and may continue to provide materials for producing solid fuel for Iran’s long-range ballistic missiles.
Here, China vehemently denies any direct assistance to Iran for offensive purposes.
However, the Post understands that China would not deny that it believes it has the right to ship dual-use items, such as fuel, to Iran, just because the other side might try to “cheat” on the terms of sale and secretly direct the fuel toward offensive missiles.
Further, the Post understands that China will not institute invasive supervision to physically guarantee that the fuel is never used by Iran for ballistic missiles.
Why is this last issue so crucial?
Top Israeli defense officials have said that Iran’s ballistic missile supply has been reduced from the 2,500 total pre-war down to between several hundred and 1,000 post-war.
These same officials have also said that during the war, Israel and the US bombed 2,600 Iranian military industrial complex targets, a large volume of which related to the ballistic missiles industry.
In other words, not only has Iran’s existing ballistic missile supply been harmed, but also its future ability to build such missiles.
Iran can’t replenish its missiles alone
If in June 2025, Israel bombed 100 targets related to ballistic missiles and the military industrial complex, the damage this time to Iran was around 26 times larger, including to supply chain materials which Tehran needs for building the missiles.
So serious is the damage that top Israeli defense officials have told the Post that, absent heavy outside assistance, it would take Iran two years or more to rebuild its missile apparatus to the same 2,500 missile pre-war point.
More specifically, those top officials expressed concern that Chinese assistance on the ballistic missiles issue, such as with dual-use fuel, could speed up Iran’s recovery process unpredictably.
If this happened, one of Israel’s central achievements of this war, pushing off the ballistic missile threat for a period of years, could be endangered.
China has not only rejected any allegations of assisting with offensive weapons, but has accused those of raising such allegations of having improper agendas, such as wanting to destabilize current talks to end the war.
Previously, the Post has reported that Mossad Director David Barnea would say that China and Russia must think ten times about helping Iran
Despite that, Israeli defense officials are still very concerned about the issue.
At the same time, even if China disappoints Israel on this issue, as it has with its support for Iran’s economy during the sanctions battles, Jerusalem is likely to continue to pursue the best possible relations with Beijing, given China’s status as one of the two world superpowers.
The Chinese Embassy in Israel sent the following statement in response to the article
1. Regarding arms sales and non-proliferation, China always abides by international law and its international obligations in international affairs. It does not provide arms to regions in conflict or to parties engaged in hostilities.
2. Regarding the Taiwan question, there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The one-China principle has become a prevailing international consensus and a basic norm of international relations. A total of 183 countries in the world, including Israel, have already established and developed diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. China firmly opposes other countries providing air defense technologies or any other weapons to the Taiwan region. China appreciates that the Israeli government keeps adhering to the one-China policy, and believes that the Israeli government will not do anything that undermines China’s core interests
3. Regarding the report that “Iran used Chinese spy satellites to target US military bases in the Middle East”, it is entirely fabricated. China firmly rejects the politicization of normal economic and trade cooperation, circulation of speculative, misleading, and false information targeting China.
4. Regarding the Middle East situation, China maintains friendly relations with all countries in the Middle East and adheres to the principle of upholding justice over affinity. It does not take sides or play one against another. China consistently believes that Israel’s right to exist and its legitimate security concerns should be fully respected, and that the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of all countries in the region must also be respected.
In light of the current situation, President Xi Jinping made a four-point proposition on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, that is, stay committed to the principle of peaceful co-existence, the principle of national sovereignty, the principle of international rule of law, and a balanced approach to development and security. The proposition reflects China’s consistent position and active effort for promoting ceasefire and peace, and advocating dialogue in resolving differences. China stands ready to continue working with the international community to contribute to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.
5. Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, China has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, and opposes the use of force and illegal sanctions. All parties should fully respect Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy as a State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and Iran should continue to honor its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.
