Beijing is observing the US and its Iran warBy Bonnie Yushih Liao 廖雨詩The US and Israeli strikes on Iran have drawn global attention, with most commentary focused on escalation risks and energy markets — but this misses the more consequential development. It is a real-time strategic experiment — a rare opportunity to observe how the US performs under simultaneous military, economic and political strain. As energy prices fluctuate and inflation concerns resurface, US policymakers face a familiar dilemma: how to sustain external military commitments while containing domestic economic costs. For Beijing, the key question is not whether the US can act, but whether it could remain strategically consistent when those costs begin to accumulate. China is observing not only battlefield effectiveness, but the rate of resource consumption and, crucially, what remains available for other theaters.

Source: Taipei Times March 20, 2026 18:02 UTC