Thinking About China
Opinion

How Will the Iran–Israel Conflict Affect China?

How Will the Iran–Israel Conflict Affect China?
Smoke rises after a reported Israeli strike on a building used by Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, on June 16, 2025. Stringer/Getty Images
Christopher Balding
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Commentary

With the Israeli attacks on Iran unfolding, it is worth asking how these events will impact China. As a country closely aligned with and linked to China in various ways, changes in Iran could be felt well beyond Tehran, all the way to Beijing.

Christopher Balding
Christopher Balding
Author
Christopher Balding was a professor at the Fulbright University Vietnam and the HSBC Business School of Peking University Graduate School. He specializes in the Chinese economy, financial markets, and technology. A senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, he lived in China and Vietnam for more than a decade before relocating to the United States.