In the following interview on Al Arabiya, broadcast on 18 June 2025, prominent Chinese scholar Victor Gao, Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization, gives a powerful critique of the Israeli-US aggression against Iran.
Noting that China has excellent relations with Iran, and that China respects Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Gao states that China does not recognise the extraterritoriality of any country’s unilateral sanctions against another country, and therefore does not accept the US’s sanctions against Iran. He goes on to clearly reiterate the Chinese government’s position in relation to Israel’s criminal aggression, pointing out that Israel violated international law, unilaterally launching a war against a sovereign country.
China really deplores Israel’s military attack on nuclear facilities inside Iran and considers it a very serious offence against world peace and security.
While condemning Israel’s aggression, Gao notes that Iran’s military response is justified and legitimate, as a defence of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Victor Gao also points to the outrageous hypocrisy of Israel’s supposed justification for its aggression, that is, that Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Given that Israel itself possesses nuclear weapons, and that it has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this accusation is a blatant double standard. “I don’t think there’s a higher level of double standards and hypocrisy than that.”
Commenting on US president Trump’s suggestion that the US might assassinate the Iranian leadership, Gao opines that “assassination of heads of state, political or military leaders, or religious figures is unacceptable in today’s world”. As such, he urges the US to maintain a minimum level of decency in its international relations, and to use its influence to de-escalate the situation rather than inflame it.
