Geopolitical analyst and commentator Michael Doran has claimed that China is using the conflict in the Middle East to gather valuable military data while supporting Iran’s missile capabilities.
According to Doran, Beijing has assisted Iran’s missile program by supplying critical components for missile production and providing targeting data through Chinese satellite companies.
He argued that China is effectively using the Middle East as a “laboratory” to observe how the United States responds to missile threats, saying that both the targeting information provided to Iran and the combat data collected from the conflict are of significant value to Beijing.
Doran also claimed that only three actors in the world possess anti-ship ballistic missiles — China, Iran and the Houthis. He asserted that China has supplied such weapons to Iran and the Houthis because their primary purpose is to threaten or attack U.S. aircraft carriers.
According to the analyst, Beijing is seeking to understand how the U.S. Navy counters these weapons in order to improve its military preparedness for a potential conflict over Taiwan.
Doran further argued that U.S. President Donald Trump recognizes the strategic links between China and the Middle East and has, at least temporarily, disrupted cooperation between Beijing and Tehran that could otherwise strengthen their position in the event of a future conflict.
China has repeatedly denied providing military assistance that would fuel regional conflicts, while the allegations made by Doran reflect his personal assessment and have not been independently verified.