China is Iran’s top trading partner, buying an estimated 90 percent of its oil exports, while roughly 12 percent of China’s oil imports came from Iran, although estimates are imprecise given that Iranian oil flows through a shadow fleet of disguised vessels and paid for through financial networks that avoid the traditional banking system.

China is trying to position itself as a stabilizing force amid U.S. actions on Venezuela and Iran — but its commitment to allies is largely pragmatic, analysts say.

President Donald Trump is weighing potential strikes against Iran that, if conducted, experts say could expose weaknesses of Russia and China as global military powers unable to protect their allies.

China is weighing how far it is willing to go to protect its economic relationship with Iran as the United States threatens new tariffs on countries that defy Washington’s line on Tehran.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that countries that do business with Iran will face a new 25% tariff. The announcement appears to mean goods from China, a major trading partner of both Iran and the United States,

Iran’s integration of China’s HQ-9B and Russia’s S-400 creates a layered air defence that could blunt US military options, testing American strategy and raising regional and geopolitical stakes.

The U.S. striking Venezuela and capturing its leader has practical implications for China, Russia, Iran and Cuba, and it also sends messages to each nation.

China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, and it always has a tried-and-tested toolkit for evading sanctions enforcement.

Beijing is relieved as signs emerge of deescalation between the United States and Iran, assuaging fears of a confrontation that could have disrupted Gulf stability and China’s energy supplies.

By Joe Cash BEIJING, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to slap a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran risks reopening old wounds with Beijing, Tehran's biggest trading partner.

A major multinational naval exercise off South Africa's coastline has brought warships from China, Russia, Iran and other nations to one of the world's most critical trade corridors. The drills, unfolding in False Bay near Cape Town,