Xi Warns of Collapsing World Order as US-Iran Ceasefire Frays and Chinese Exports Slide
Summary
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the international order “crumbling into disarray” on Tuesday, marking his first public statements on the Iran war since the conflict began over a month ago, as fresh data showed the fighting dealt a sharp blow to Chinese exports in March.
The remarks, made during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing, carry weight beyond rhetoric. Xi’s positioning of China as a global stabilizer comes precisely as the economic cost of the conflict lands on Chinese trade figures — suggesting Beijing’s push for peace talks is as much about commercial self-interest as diplomatic principle.
Xi also met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed, reiterating China’s “constructive role” in the Middle East and presenting a four-point proposal emphasizing sovereignty, peaceful coexistence, and international law. China’s Foreign Ministry separately condemned the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — which took effect Monday — as “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning of countermeasures if Washington raises tariffs on Chinese goods over the Iran conflict.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called the current US-Iran truce fragile. Weekend talks in Islamabad between the two sides collapsed without agreement, though Bloomberg reported both parties are discussing another round of face-to-face negotiations.
Spain, which has closed its airspace to US warplanes and barred Washington from using Spanish military bases for the conflict, is positioning itself as Beijing’s closest European partner. The Sánchez-Xi meeting was their fourth in just over three years.
Whether China can convert its diplomatic visibility into actual leverage over the ceasefire’s durability remains the central test ahead.