Iran War: Chinese Propaganda Casts US as Reckless Aggressor

A week ago, a viral AI video from Chinese state media depicted the US-Israel conflict with Iran through the imagery of Persian cats and bald eagles. The animation, which quickly amassed nearly a million likes, showcases a symbolic clash between the “aggrieved Persian cats” and the “arrogant white eagle” in a desert realm dubbed the “golden flow valley.” This metaphor underscores Beijing’s portrayal of the US as a destabilizing force, contrasting it with China’s image as a stable, peaceful rising power.

Symbolism in State Narratives

The video’s storyline follows the eagle’s exploitation of the Persian cats’ resources, represented as “black iron essence” and traded via “white eagle gold tickets.” After the eagle assassinates the cats’ leader, an uneven war of attrition ensues, with the eagle deploying costly “anti-air golden needles” against the cats’ simple “wooden birds.” Such visuals, rooted in traditional Chinese storytelling, reflect a deliberate effort to shape domestic perceptions of the Middle East conflict.

“From the beginning, Chinese officials have been very clear in describing the war as both illegal and a threat to global stability,” said W.A. Figueroa, an assistant professor of history and international relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. “The image presented is one of a steady, engaged, and diplomatic China in contrast to an aggressive and unpredictable United States,” he added.

Official Xinhua News Agency commentaries further reinforce this narrative, framing Washington’s actions as a bid for “an Iran without sovereignty” rather than security. These geopolitical themes are distilled into bite-sized, patriotic content on social platforms, where influencers like “Jing Si You Wo” on Douyin celebrate Iran’s resolve and claim the US has “chickened out” against Iranian “mutual destruction” determination.

The Chinese military’s Douyin account also shared a video analyzing US Gulf deployments using high-definition satellite imagery. This post garnered over 6 million likes, signaling public appetite for dissecting American military strategies through a Chinese lens. Analyst Alicja Bachulska noted that the AI video represents a shift in state propaganda, blending it with the popular Wuxia genre—a style familiar from 1980s Hong Kong kung fu films.

“Chinese political elites view the world through the prism of an existential rivalry,” Bachulska told DW. “All global developments … are being filtered through the lens of how China can use these developments to strengthen the narrative that the US is a neo-imperial power and that it is a discredited actor.”

Experts suggest this strategy is part of a broader campaign to counter US accusations of destabilization. By promoting China as a stabilizing force, the narrative aims to bolster domestic morale while challenging Western dominance. The “cat and eagle” animated short concludes with a nod to martial arts philosophy, emphasizing the enduring power of resilience and strategic calm in navigating global chaos.