SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China is the main buyer of oil from Iran, which accounts for roughly 13.6% of purchases this year by the world's largest crude importer, leaving Beijing uniquely exposed to any supply disruption from conflict in the Middle East.

Before Saturday evening’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Chinese Communist Party had demanded that Israel end its attacks on the Islamic Republic and the United States to withhold itself from the conflict.

“If the Middle East is unstable, the world will not be at peace,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said June 19. “If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly.”

China's Foreign Ministry criticized U.S. strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities as a violation of the United Nations charter and expressed concern over potential spillover effects from the deepening conflict.

China said the United States has hurt its reputation as a global power and its diplomatic standing by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities while it was engaged in talks with Tehran. “Iran is harmed, but also harmed is U.

China has condemned the recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities under Donald Trump, calling them dangerous and damaging to Washington’s global credibility. Beijing warned of possible escalation and confirmed it had safely evacuated over 3,