China's axis with Iran at breaking point as Xi cracks down on mosques after Israel attack

It follows revelations by human rights campaigners that Beijing has ordered a significant reduction in the number of mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces, which have the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang.

An increasing number of mosques have been decommissioned, closed down, demolished, and converted for secular use after President Xi Jinping’s 2016 called for the “Sinicization” of religions.

This aimed to ensure that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the arbiter of people’s spiritual life, state control over religion has strengthened. A 2018 edict then states that “there should be more mosque demolitions than constructions.”

But the pace of mosque consolidation has increased since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, analysts say.

And this could prove problematic for Iran, which entered into a 25-year strategic partnership with China and 2021 and may become increasingly obliged to justify its strategic partnership with an anti-Muslim regime.

Regional expert Catherine Perez-Shakdam of the ACLS think tank said: “Beijing knows it cannot destroy all Islam, but what it can do is to force Muslims to consolidate their presence.

“And there is evidence to suggest that the CCPs desire to control the demographic has increased since Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks. “

Iran “speaks authoritarianism fluently”, she added, having pursued a similar consolidation policy against Sunni Muslims, Baha’is and Jews.

“But it’s one thing if the Islamic regime does this, and quite another if it is carried out by non-Muslim power.

“It leaves Iran with an increasing difficulty in selling its China partnership to its own people.

“This is a partnership which it has sold successfully because it has led the regime to overcome the effects of sanctions.

“What it is now presenting is choosing an anti-Muslim regime over the West which is not closing down mosques.”

Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The Chinese government is not ‘consolidating’ mosques as it claims, but closing many down in violation of religious freedom.

“The Chinese government’s closure, destruction, and repurposing of mosques is part of a systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam in China.”

But China’s anti-Muslim trajectory might be even more significant, said Ms Perez-Shakdam.

“Iran is clearly being told it is not a friend, but just a convenient supplier of oil – in competition with Russia.

“The bigger issue is that China is potentially signalling that it is open for an alliance against Islam. It could see China completely rethink its foreign strategy.

“Will it seek to use this as an olive branch with which to appease India, which also has a Muslim problem?”