Dhaka, March 30 -- In the highly volatile arena of international politics, while wars and conflicts dominate the headlines, strategy and strategic thinking play out quietly behind the scenes. In the volatile Middle Eastern arena, with tensions running high as a result of conflict between the United States (US), Israel, and Iran, there is one question on everybody's mind across the world: Why is China silent?

China's response to the conflict appears quite low-key, especially given that Iran is one of China's major energy partners and an integral part of China's strategic thinking about its place in the world. One would think that China would be taking a very strong diplomatic stance or even going so far as to resort to military action aga...