Wei Liang: Iran's national resilience now more apparent than before, while Gulf security environment tested
The following is a summary of Wei Liang's remarks at the 51st Tsinghua University Forum on China and the World Economy held at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and broadcasted online on July 7, 2026. Wei is Associate Researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) at CASS.
On July 7, 2026, the 51st Tsinghua University Forum of China and the World Economy, hosted by Tsinghua University's Academic Center for Chinese Economic Practice and Thinking (ACCEPT) in partnership with the university's School of Social Sciences, was broadcasted online under the theme of China's 2026 Mid-Year Economic Update. Associate Researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) at CASS, Wei Liang, delivered remarks and participated in roundtable discussions at the forum alongside other distinguished guests where he commented on the state of the Chinese economy.
Regarding the US-Iran conflict and the situation in the Middle East, Wei Liang mentioned that a major misjudgment by the outside world in this round of the conflict is the assumption that the Iranian regime would rapidly collapse. The actual situation on the ground has demonstrated that Iran possesses an ample degree of national resilience. Although Iran has long faced economic pressures and public dissatisfaction with its government, when external intervention materializes, internal conflicts are temporarily set aside, and the country's national identity and civilizational memory are once again transformed into a unified force against these outside forces. Iran is notable for its deep-seated historical heritage and national consciousness, which are key sources of its political resilience.
Wei pointed out that the US-Iran conflict has changed the outside world's perception of Gulf security. Currently, one can be relatively optimistic concerning the implementation of the two parties' memorandum of understanding, but the final negotiations still face many tough hurdles. The security environment in the Gulf region has now undergone a perceptible shift compared with before the conflict. In the past, countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) relied on security guarantees to promote modernization, financial openness and a thriving real estate sector, but the core of this underlying logic has now been shaken. Without security as a foundation, the continued expectation of hot money and expanded real estate investments may become uncertain. In recent weeks, some funds have been withdrawn from the UAE, and housing prices have also fallen, indicating that the market has begun to reprice regional security risks.
