There is no sign that Beijing intends to submit to US pressure to stop buying Iranian oil. China says it does not accept unilateral US sanctions and that trade between the two countries is solely their own business.
Modern.az reports, citing "Al-Jazeera", that China is Iran's largest crude oil customer, receiving approximately 80 percent of Iran's oil exports. Most of the oil is sent to smaller "teapot" refineries via tanker networks, which allows them to conceal its origin.
China is not overly dependent on Iranian oil and could theoretically stop buying Iranian oil if Washington exerted enough pressure. However, this move could cause President Xi Jinping a significant political cost, as Beijing does not want to send the message that it is ready to "bow or submit" to US pressure. This could create a dangerous precedent both domestically and internationally.
This dispute comes ahead of Xi Jinping's planned visit to Washington on September 24. Other tensions, such as US restrictions on Chinese technology companies and pressure on countries to choose sides in the artificial intelligence race, are already casting a shadow over the meeting.
However, there is no indication so far that these tensions will prevent the visit from taking place. One of Washington's main goals is to ensure the continued supply of critical rare earth minerals from China. Beijing, for its part, wants to maintain a trade truce and keep tariffs low.
Nigar Rustam
