China Decode: China Walks a Dangerous Line as Iran War Escalates

Hogging seats on a crowded train, not saying excuse me, watching videos on your phone with no headphones in. Sometimes it feels like we don't know how to act anymore. What we have been seeing, increasingly, is people breaking rules. Why should I play by the rules if nobody else is going to do that for me? This week on Explain It to Me, how to mind your manners.

New episodes Sundays wherever you get your podcasts. The fact of the matter is China is still very vulnerable, exposed. If this war becomes more prolonged and it seems as every day that passes, it's more likely that it is a more prolonged conflict, right? So what is your assessment as to why China hasn't really been as aggressive or vociferous in its criticism? It's abstained from the UN um resolution on the Tehran conflict, and it hasn't really, to my knowledge at least,

given direct military aid to the Iranians. Well, Alice, I mean, you know, obviously, first of all, this is a tragedy that is enveloping much of the Middle East now. But at the same time, as you've just pointed out, it provides us with a very valuable chance to get an object lesson in how China conducts its diplomacy. and how China's overriding priorities as the world's second most influential geopolitical actor actually play out. I mean, to put it in short, this is China's game theory.

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