Iran and Venezuela are not normal countries; they just sell resources to the major Eastern buyer and rely militarily on Russia.
1. Because there are basically no other major buyers, some sanctioned countries sell 70%-90% of their oil to the East, which has the capacity to absorb it. This is the core relationship—resource sellers and a major buyer. Iran and Venezuela, recently targeted by the U.S., do not have particularly special relations with China, nor are they allies. Additionally, China has exceptionally strong engineering and construction capabilities, undertaking projects in many countries worldwide, including those under sanctions. For example, when Libya had its crisis, many Chinese engineering teams were working there and needed evacuation.
2. The main areas are resources and engineering. Besides Pakistan, which stands out, there are basically no countries with large-scale military cooperation with China. Without Pakistan's major contracts, China's arms exports would be minimal, even less than South Korea's. It's common to see news about some country showing interest in Chinese weapons—this is merely 'tactical engagement' and rarely results in substantial orders. Countries under U.S. sanctions don't buy much from China; instead, Middle Eastern wealthy nations sometimes spend freely.
3. For example, Venezuela's total arms imports from 2006 to 2013 amounted to $8.305 billion, with China accounting for less than $1 billion—only 11%—far below Russia's $6.433 billion. Later rumors suggested Venezuela would significantly increase purchases from China, but nothing came of it, and the weapons weren't used during the crisis. Iran is similar: during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Iran urgently bought weapons from everywhere, including China, but that didn't constitute a special relationship. Even during the war, over 70% of Iran's weapons came from the former Soviet Union, and China's sales were just supplementary—only a few hundred million dollars. Later, Iran consistently relied on Russian weapons, with very limited purchases from China. Especially after 2010, when Iran faced UN arms embargoes and again after the 2015 nuclear deal, China respected international resolutions, while Russia continued selling weapons to Iran without regard. China's arms exports to Iran have been minimal, accounting for only 1% of total exports since 2015.
4. In fact, internationally, China's military strength has always been seen as far behind Russia's. Countries sanctioned by the U.S. mainly develop military ties with Russia, which treats this as a revenue-generating opportunity. Chinese military enthusiasts only began to understand the 'real' state of Russia's military after the Russia-Ukraine conflict—before that, many tended to overestimate it. Claims that China's weapons are the best in the world, even surpassing those of the U.S., are only recently emerging with new evidence from 2025. In some branch-specific military rankings, China even ranks behind India. China itself doesn't place much emphasis on arms exports; while other exports are thriving, China's domestic weapons production is already sufficient, making exports not a priority. Fortunately, China has a long-term cooperation mechanism with Pakistan. However, Pakistan still admires U.S. weapons—when it acquired the J-10C in 2022, it was Prime Minister Imran Khan who, in 2021, overruled opposition and personally approved the deal and presided over its induction ceremony, later being thanked by the public while in prison.
5. Therefore, when the U.S. and Israel conduct military strikes on Iran and Middle Eastern forces, or when the U.S. targets Venezuela, the main loser is Russia. China has sold very few weapons to these countries, and they weren't particularly interested anyway—any chance was missed. No country has ever relied on Chinese weapons; it's never happened. Only Pakistan was pleasantly surprised and felt they gained a great deal. Whether Iran or Venezuela suffer heavily from U.S. or Israeli attacks, it has nothing to do with China. It might even reflect the failure of Russian weapons, but China has no reason to worry.
6. The U.S. and Israel's military actions in the Middle East and Latin America create instability abroad, but they have no direct impact on China. Some Chinese experts and citizens sometimes feel sympathy or hope for countries targeted by the U.S., hoping they resist effectively. For example, when the U.S. invaded Iraq, Chinese public opinion expected a strong resistance. But one should not get overly emotionally involved—these are other countries' affairs, and they don't hold China in particularly high regard anyway.