The

The Hello and welcome to another episode of Politics Theory Other.

My name is Alex Doherty and my guest today is William Figuero.

We talked about the relationship between

China and Iran in the wake of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. We chatted about why

China's backing for Iran has been and is likely to continue to be relatively limited as China

balances support for Iran with its other interests in West Asia. We also talked about the extent to which

Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership are happy to see the US bogged down in the Middle East.

And we spoke about whether the scale of Israeli violence and expansionism may lead China to

take a more overtly pro-Iran position. Finally, we touched on the question of whether China seeks to become a hegemonic

power. If you find this interview useful, then please do consider becoming a £5 supporter of the podcast

on Patreon. As well as keeping the PTO show on the road, you'll also get access to bonus episodes,

such as the recent interview with Owen Hathalie. You can support the show

in pounds or whatever your local currency is, and you can pledge any amount you choose. Go to patreon.com

forward slash poll theory other to sign up. William Figueroa is an assistant professor in the

history and theory of international relations at the University

of Groningen. His writing and commentary has appeared in the diplomat, Al Jazeera, Reuters, South China

Morning Post and the Economist amongst other venues. He's currently writing a book on the history

of Iran-China relations.

During last month's 12-day war with Israel, Iran suffered severe military and civilian losses,

and the Israeli Air Force was able to achieve total air supremacy in Iranian airspace,

having already severely degraded Iran's air defense systems in October of last year.

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