China on Sunday warned against attempts to engineer political change in Iran amid the ongoing US-Israel offensive, saying such efforts would lack public support and could worsen instability in the region.Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of a major annual gathering in Beijing, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said attempts to provoke a “colour revolution” or externally driven regime change in Tehran would not succeed, according to Aljazeera citing state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Click for live updates“Plotting a ‘colour’ revolution or seeking government change will find no popular support,” Wang said.His remarks come as tensions in the Middle East remain high following US and Israeli military actions against Iran. Wang asserted that the sovereignty of Iran and other countries must be respected and urged an immediate halt to hostilities.
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In a sharp message against unilateral action, Wang added: “A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle.”“This is a war that should not have happened, and it is a war that does no one any good,” he said. “Force provides no solution, and armed conflict will only increase hatred and breed new crises.”The Chinese foreign minister also warned against outside interference in the region, saying countries in the Middle East should determine their own affairs. “The people of the Middle East are the true masters of this region, and the region’s affairs should be determined by the countries there independently,” he said.Beijing urged all parties involved in the conflict to resume diplomatic engagement. Wang called on “all sides” to return to negotiations “as quickly as possible” and resolve their differences through dialogue in order to achieve broader regional security.China, he said, was ready to work with countries in the region to “restore order to the Middle East, calm to its people, and peace to the world”.The remarks also come amid reports questioning the feasibility of regime change in Iran. According to a classified assessment by the US national intelligence council cited by The Washington Post, even a large-scale American military campaign would be unlikely to dismantle Iran’s entrenched military and clerical power structure.The report, published Saturday and citing sources familiar with the document, challenges US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington could “clean out” Iran’s leadership and install a preferred successor.China has also condemned the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the conflict.Separately, Wang said China’s ties with Russia remained strong despite Western criticism of Moscow over the war in Ukraine, describing the relationship as “steadfast and unshakeable”.The assertion also comes amid the speculation that China and Russia are providing Iran with critical intelligence about US assets in the region.