|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-price-beijing-pays-for-backing-tehran-c1904deb?mod=opinion_lead_pos5
The Price Beijing Pays for Backing Tehran
(Wall Street Journal) Tom Tugendhat - Shipping companies have been unable to buy "forward fuel" at a negotiated price for delivery next month. They have no choice but to pay today's high prices, raising cargo costs so dramatically that reliable routes for food and goods become unprofitable. China, according to multiple reports, has provided Iran with satellite imagery, components and intelligence needed to attack infrastructure and shipping as well as U.S. targets in Gulf countries, helping Iran destroy refineries and docks and even kill civilians. In 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Iran supplied 11% of China's oil. In the same year, Saudi Arabia supplied 14% of China's crude, Iraq 10%, Oman 7% and the UAE 6% - together accounting for 37% of China's oil imports. China's enabling of Iranian aggression endangers suppliers that collectively matter more than three times as much to the Chinese economy as Iran does. Energy bound for China runs directly through the neighborhood that Chinese-assisted Iranian drones and missiles have been targeting. Beijing's support for Iran secured for China discounted oil from the regime, which it helped to evade sanctions. China has now backed one state against others, hoping those that supply more than a third of its oil will forget the transgression. The writer, a member of the British Parliament, is a former Security Minister.