Influential Chinese commentators have used President Donald Trump's war in Iran to openly mock America's ability to project military power in the Indo-Pacific, arguing the conflict has exposed critical weaknesses that undermine Washington's posture on Taiwan.
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the nationalist tabloid Global Times, wrote on Weibo last week that the grinding conflict had shown how "strained" US military capabilities have become, as reported by "Hvylya", citing Bloomberg. Hu noted that Iran had already been weakened by decades of sanctions before the war began.
"It is truly amusing that some American elites are still talking grandly about taking on the PLA in the Taiwan Strait," Hu wrote.
Another prominent voice, blogger Ren Yi - a Harvard-educated grandson of former Guangdong Communist Party chief Ren Zhongyi who posts under the moniker "Chairman Rabbit" - took a different angle. In a lengthy post on X, Ren described how US allies increasingly find themselves in an "Israel First" universe where Washington's priorities leave little room for anyone else.
"Other allies and partners are at the bottom, left to fight for scraps," he wrote.
The commentary from nationalist figures coincides with Western officials telling Bloomberg that China's PLA has been studying US offensive capabilities in Iran, gathering intelligence that officials described as "highly valuable" for any future Taiwan contingency. Beijing has officially stayed silent on the conflict, and China's Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
Also read: Trump Now Faces the Exact Scenario He Promised to Avoid in Iran.