China was quick to condemn Israel after its assault against Iran. Yet President Xi Jinping has shown no sign of rushing to provide weapons and other support that would help Tehran face its most critical military test in decades.

Beijing has repeatedly issued warnings against escalation, calling again on Thursday for the US and other nations to embrace dialogue and “prevent the regional situation from sliding into the abyss.” Despite that, China has yet to offer any material support to Iran beyond continuing its normal trading relationship, an approach it also took with Russia.

While Xi’s government has provided diplomatic support for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and shipped dual-use goods to Moscow, China has also been careful not to directly provide weapons in order to avoid US sanctions. Beijing similarly urged de-escalation after its “ironclad friend” Pakistan and India engaged in their worst military confrontation in half a century.

“China may be offering economic relief and rhetorical support to Iran, but actual military intervention is not anywhere near the table yet,” said Wen-Ti Sung, nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. “China does not want to risk getting entrapped by Iran’s war with an Israel that has the Trump administration behind it.”

While the US has a history of becoming embroiled in protracted wars far from home, China’s reluctance to get entangled in foreign conflicts is a hallmark of Xi’s foreign policy. That principle of non-interference has allowed Beijing to distinguish itself from Washington in the Global South, where it has pursued ties primarily by offering loans and development, while refraining from calls for political change.

Beijing’s approach toward Iran, as it faces attacks from Israel and potentially the US, mirrors that of its other major partner, Russia. Like Beijing, Moscow has criticized Israel’s attacks but done little to support Tehran. After discussing the Middle East by phone with Putin on Thursday, Xi issued a four-point proposal on the conflict that called for a ceasefire and to “stop the war.”

“It is up to the international community, especially the major powers that have a special influence on the parties to the conflict, to make efforts to contribute to the cooling of the situation,” he said, in a veiled reference to the US. “Using force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes.”