Foreign affairs are not a series of disconnected episodes. They are a test of whether nations learn from history and act with foresight. The United States has often failed that test. It forgets that unchecked aggression leads to wider wars and that removing governments without building new authority invites chaos.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s destabilising role in the Middle East and the collapse of Libya and Afghanistan all testify to what happens when those lessons are ignored.
China, by contrast, has not waged wars of conquest or slaughtered civilians abroad. Its rise has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and reshaped trade. Yet Beijing’s sharp focus on Taiwan, while understandable from its perspective, risks narrowing its vision. China still depends on the global trading system.
That system requires stability, and stability requires accommodation with the US, however pushy Washington may seem.
Iran is a case in point. Beijing has not actively helped Tehran prolong conflict, though it is pushing back against US sanctions over Iranian oil. Active help would entangle China in the very kind of destructive adventurism it has so far avoided. The world needs China to be a constructive power, not a spoiler. If China wants its prosperity to endure, it must resist the temptation in some quarters to side with those who thrive on chaos.
Iran’s partnership with Russia in Syria and support for militias across the region have created humanitarian disasters. China’s credibility as a responsible global actor would be undermined if it lent cover to such behaviour.
