Xi says world order 'crumbling into disarray' as war takes toll

 Chinese President Xi Jinping lamented a world in “disarray,” using some of his strongest language yet to describe a collapse of the Western-led international order as he vowed to play a constructive role in the Middle East.

“The international order is crumbling into disarray,” Xi told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday in Beijing, using a Chinese phrase indicating not only chaos but also moral decay.

The comments, part of Xi’s first public statements on the Iran war since the conflict began more than a month ago, followed a flurry of visits by world leaders to Beijing and fresh economic data on Tuesday showing the war took a sharp toll on Chinese exports in March. Xi has framed his country as a stabilizing force in a world thrown into turmoil by Donald Trump’s erratic approach to trade and foreign policy.

In an earlier meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed, Xi reiterated that China would continue to play a “constructive role” in the Middle East. While a readout of those talks didn’t mention the Iran war specifically, it noted that the two sides “exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region.”

China has criticized the military action against Iran and warned it risks plunging the Middle East into deeper instability. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the international community to step up efforts to promote peace talks between Iran and the US, warning that the current truce remains fragile and must be preserved.

The durability of the ceasefire that began earlier this month is now being tested, with the US president ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which took effect Monday. The US and Iran are in discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations after meetings in Islamabad over the weekend ended in failure, Bloomberg reported earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called the blockade “dangerous and irresponsible” and vowed to take countermeasures if the US raises tariffs on Chinese exports over the Iran conflict. It didn’t directly address a question on a China-linked tanker sailing out of the waterway, only urging for an end to the war to ensure unimpeded passage.

The meeting between Sánchez and Xi is their fourth in just over three years as Spain positions itself as one of China’s closest friends in Europe. Spain has been among the European countries most strongly opposed to the US-Israeli war in Iran, which Sánchez has described as “illegal.” 

Ahead of the meeting, Sánchez urged China to leverage its global influence to help bring the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine to an end.

“Both China and Spain are nations of principle and integrity,” Xi said, adding that the two sides should “enhance communication, consolidate mutual trust, and cooperate closely to resist any regression toward the law of the jungle.”

Spain has closed its airspace to US warplanes involved in the conflict and is barring Washington from using its two military bases on Spanish territory for that purpose. At the same time, Spain has condemned Iran’s response to the US and Israeli strikes and warned of regional destabilization. 

During opening remarks at the meeting on Tuesday, Sanchez said he was in Beijing so the two countries can “contribute to providing solutions to the various trade tensions, the difficulties and geopolitical complexities of today’s world, the wars, and the environmental and social challenges affecting the world.”

Sánchez defended establishing “an even stronger bond between China and the European Union.” Despite the skepticism of some other European countries regarding China, the Spanish premier said that cooperation between both blocs “will benefit their societies and also contribute to the stability, peace, and prosperity of the world.”

In his meeting with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Xi put forward a four-point proposal for maintaining peace in the Middle East, including upholding the principles of peaceful coexistence, sovereignty, rule of international law and the pursuit of development and security, according to the readout. 

Sheikh Khaled, 44, is the eldest son of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and has taken on more prominent national security and economic roles over the past year. That includes being appointed to oversee the UAE’s newest wealth fund, called L’imad Holding Co.

The UAE has been hit by Iranian strikes as Tehran targeted energy infrastructure across the region, crippling refineries, petrochemical and liquefied natural gas facilities, and forced some of the world’s biggest oil producers to slash production.