By Noureddine Omar | 2024-06-18

China's expressed support for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in its dispute with Iran over the sovereignty of the Abu Musa and Tunbs islands is a political maneuver designed to protect its economic interests in the Gulf, analysts say.

In a joint statement issued June 2 following the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, China said it supported the UAE's efforts to reach a "peaceful solution" to the issue of the islands.

The Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands are controlled by Iran.

China's support for the UAE on the matter of the islands is designed to appease the Emiratis "with the aim of preserving Chinese projects in Gulf countries," political analyst Abdul Nabi Bakkar told Al-Fassel.

Tehran's summoning of the Chinese ambassador over the issue "is nothing but a continuation of the political theatrics," he said.

China is trying hard to form strategic partnerships with the Gulf states and persuade them it is a better partner than the United States, Bakkar said.

"However, the solidity of US-Gulf relations stands as an obstacle against this plan, as the Gulf states, including the UAE, are fully aware that their strategic partnerships with the US side are a safety valve for their security and stability."

"Also, the US position on the three islands is a firm and permanent position taken by successive administrations," Bakkar said.

Economic manipulation

"The Iranian regime's intransigence regarding the Emirati islands keeps the fuse of tension lit in the region," international political affairs specialist Mai Abdul Rahman told Al-Fassel.

Tehran sees the islands as a means "to keep the door to negotiations open to all possibilities," she said.

Beijing is aware its position may heighten regional tensions, "which opens the door for China to present itself as a mediator between the two sides," she said.

"In other words, China is manipulating the region to serve its own interests and the interest of its most important ally, Iran."

China has been one of Iran's biggest trade partners for the past decade and the two sides entered into a 25-year cooperation agreement in 2022.

Yet Beijing's desire to build economic ties with Arab states and its concerns about Western sanctions on Iran have led to "lukewarm economic engagement" between China and Iran, Stimson Center China Program director Yun Sun wrote for Al-Monitor May 21.