Three Chinese companies have one thing in common: they are all specialized in satellites. The American Department of State accuses them of providing images captured in space to Iran. These images allegedly allowed Tehran to target American forces in the region.
This is not the first time China has been accused of supporting Iran against the United States. In mid-April, the Financial Times revealed that Tehran had secretly gained access to data from a Chinese spy satellite in order to target American bases in the Middle East.
According to economist Philippe Aguigner, a researcher at Inalco, “This is a classic phenomenon before an upcoming intense negotiation. We show our teeth and the weapons we have. So, this is a message sent by the United States to China to say, ‘Attention, we know what you are doing, we have weapons, and we will not hesitate to use them if necessary.'”
Clear Political Message
A few days before Donald Trump’s visit to China, these new sanctions also send a clear political message. The United States seeks to increase pressure to push Beijing to cut all support to Iran. At the end of April, five Chinese companies were sanctioned for refining Iranian oil.
However, Beijing, which denies all accusations, does not seem to be backing down. In response for the first time, China has activated its “blocking law.” This allows its companies to not comply with certain foreign sanctions.
“The China even resists when there are quite violent shocks.”
China’s exports, the world’s second-largest economy, are doing well. They surged by 14.1% year-on-year last April, almost twice the observers’ forecasts. While these figures only represent a snapshot in time, they at least for now demonstrate the resilience of the Chinese economy in the face of the crisis in the Middle East.
“This shows that indeed the Chinese industrial apparatus is now so intertwined in all value chains. It shows that China even resists when there are quite violent shocks,” highlights Philippe Aguigner.
