There's very little that the Chinese government likes less than the projection of U.S. military power. The reasons range widely — from a general distaste for the U.S. meddling outside its borders to Beijing's frequent support for autocratic regimes. China steadfastly opposed the idea of U.S. intervention in Syria, for instance, and in 2011, it refused to back military action in Libya (though it abstained from the Security Council vote to authorize strikes).
So a week ago Friday, when the state-owned China Daily newspaper reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a comment on President Barack Obama's authorization of airstrikes in Iraq, it might well have expected a stock condemnation of U.S. imperialism. It received something quite different.
"China supports safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and efforts to combat terrorism," the paper said, paraphrasing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "And keeping an open mind about operations that preserve security and stability in Iraq."