Long Thaw, Short Freeze: Chinese Views on the Iran War and Regional Security

Chinese public opinion toward neighboring countries warmed in the period between late 2025 and the current survey. It then cooled, in many cases significantly, during the late spring and early summer of 2026. Similarly, Chinese support for international hawkishness from Beijing declined beginning in January, only to rise in the weeks after the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The current report covers too many geographical regions, histories, and territorial disputes for the Trump-Xi summit to be a determining cause in all cases of increased hawkishness. As a time marker for comparison, however, it demonstrates a reversal in Chinese public opinion that is otherwise hidden in the overall averages.

The observed hawkishness tracks from increased belief in Chinese superiority over other countries through to support for sending People’s Liberation Army troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine. Although no data exists to compare views on Iran to late 2025, within this survey, Chinese support for sending naval vessels to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz grew to become a clear majority position between April and June. With some exceptions, the overall trend in Chinese public opinion is toward endorsement of a hawkish global posture beyond what Beijing tends to espouse through official statements.

China Pulse is a twice-annual survey research project measuring Chinese public opinion on international relations conducted by The Carter Center and Emory University. The data in this brief come from a survey fielded between April 16 and June 26, 2026.

Read full report here.