By Abdul Masih —
While the Iran War sputters and no coup materializes, China‘s president may be losing his grip on power. This is significant because if Trump takes an early offramp from hostilities, China is sure to rebuild Iran’s war machine quickly under Xi Jinping.
His successor may not.
In fact, the fall of the Axis of Evil (Russia, Iran, North Korea and China) may allow economic factors to push the Iranian Revolutionary Guard out of power without military intervention. As an ally, Russia can’t help Iran more because it’s hamstrung by its losing war in Ukraine.
As far as China goes, Xi Jinping‘s hawkishness may be curtailed by his own fall from power. Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao staged a visit to the Chinese Academy of Sciences that showed presence and strength for (presumably) the anti-Xi faction.
Xi may be losing his grip after the removal of top military figures — Zhang Youxia, a general who opposes his aggression towards Taiwan; and top operational commander Liu Zhenli — was reportedly met with silence from the Politburo. (Usually, the Politburo congratulates him for purging people who are not loyal.)
Xi has stayed put in Beijing for 135 days straight and only broke his regimen recently to visit Xiongan. While he was staging a public show of presence, his apparent rival did so too.
When U.S. warplanes overwhelmed Chinese anti-stealth radar systems and swarmed into Iran completely undetected and undeterred, Xi suddenly and mysteriously halted his harassing military flights sent around Taiwan for about eight days.
The move was seen as a shock reaction in which Xi doubted China’s capabilities. Military industrial leaders were subsequently removed from government posts (Li Shangfu, defense minister and procurement system; Wei Fenghe, former defense minister; and Wu Yansheng / Tan Ruisong, top defense contractors, Central Committee)
It’s possible they have been faking data to get military contracts and enrich themselves, and their sophisticated systems don’t really work.
If the Iranian Regime survives the American-Israeli onslaught, China under Xi will likely compensate for its humiliation in Iran by rearming the military systems at light speed, and the emerging Iran could be stronger and more hostile than ever before.
Under any other leader, China might not be so supportive of Iran.
Sources: Lei’s Real Talk, others.
