A longtime friend of Tehran, Beijing jumped into verbal action when Israel attacked Iran nearly two weeks ago.

BEIJING China on Tuesday described a U.S. rejection of its maritime claims in the South China Sea as completely unjustified and accused the U.S. of attempting to sow discord between China and the Southeast Asian countries with which it has territorial disputes. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said that a statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliberately distorts the facts and disregards the efforts of China and the others to achieve peace and stability in the South China Sea. Pompeos statement was a major change in South China Sea policy, said Zhu Feng, the director of a South China Sea studies center at Nanjing University. The U.S. didn't used to comment on the sovereignty issue in the South China Sea, because it itself is not the claimant, Zhu said. He is making the China issue the most important topic for his election to cover his failure in preventing the epidemic and to divert public attention.