Did China secretly send a transport plane to Iran?
China is believed to have secretly sent transport planes to support Iran in recent days.
The British newspaper Telegraph reported that a day after Israel attacked Iran on June 13, a transport plane took off from China. The following day, a second plane departed from a coastal city. Then, on June 16, another flight departed, this time from Shanghai. Three flights in three days.
Data shows that on each flight, the plane flew west along northern China, across Kazakhstan, then south into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - and then disappeared from radar as it approached Iran.
The Telegraph points out that the planned flight destination was Luxembourg, but the plane apparently never reached European airspace.
Concerns have arisen in response to what may have been sent from China toward Iran as Tehran's war with Israel is underway.
According to the Telegraph, aviation experts noted that the aircraft used was a Boeing 747 cargo plane, commonly used to transport military equipment and weapons, and leased for government contract flights.
Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer at the University of Exeter specializing in China's relations with the Middle East and North Africa, said: "These goods cannot fail to attract attention, as it is possible that China is doing this to help Iran."
China and Iran are strategic partners. Their shared interests lie in their opposition to the US-led world order and their support for a new multipolar world order. Iran is also one of China's main energy suppliers, sending 2 million barrels of oil per day.
“The collapse of the current regime would be a significant blow and would create a great deal of instability in the Middle East, ultimately undermining China’s economic and energy interests,” expert Ghiselli said. “Furthermore, Iran is probably also expecting assistance from China.”
However, at this sensitive time, experts suggest that Beijing may be approaching the issue cautiously. Direct involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict could jeopardize any efforts China makes to stabilize its relationship with the United States – Israel's strongest ally.
Tuvia Gering, a China and Middle East expert at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, said that while "the likelihood of China sending defense documents to Tehran remains low," this possibility "should not be taken lightly and must be closely monitored."
