"Don't fight yet, I still have work to do" — Chinese expatriates caught between Gulf war and business

Frontline shock, supply chains falter

Chinese workers and entrepreneurs based in the Gulf are waking up to war and a business emergency at the same time. It has been reported that a precision strike—said to have killed Iran’s supreme leader and several senior officials—was followed by a large-scale Iranian retaliation that reportedly struck Israeli territory and a string of U.S. bases across the Gulf; regional airspace closed, multiple airports were hit, and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and nearby routes largely stopped. The result: dozens of airports suspended operations, thousands of passengers stranded, and energy and logistics nodes thrown into acute disruption. It has been reported that the attacks produced hundreds of casualties, though independent confirmation remains limited.

"Stay home, keep working" — a worker's account

“I’m in Doha now. Don’t fight yet, I still have work to do,” said Joy Zhao, identified as the Middle East general manager for Tuzhan Xinghuo (兔展星火), in an interview about life under sudden bombardment. Flights returned mid-route, air-raid sirens first went out in Arabic only, and delivery apps such as Talabat paused service while some local platforms kept running. China’s embassy has reportedly advised evacuees to shelter in safe buildings and prepare supplies but has not issued an evacuation order. Many Chinese-run firms shifted staff to home office modes — Meituan (美团) reportedly instructed local teams to work remotely — while logistics firms watched cargo pile up as Horn of Africa and Hormuz chokepoints were disrupted.

Business calculus amid geopolitical risk

For Western readers unfamiliar with the region: the Gulf hosts major U.S. military assets, critical oil export infrastructure and large expatriate Chinese business communities that drove local diversification projects in recent years. Local interviewees say the immediate fear is less for personal safety than for contracts, deliveries and the rising cost of doing business as insurance, shipping and security fees spike. It has been reported that Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports suffered strikes with several wounded and at least one foreign civilian killed; such episodes feed wider uncertainty. How will Chinese exporters, payment platforms and retail chains — from Huawei (华为) and Honor (荣耀) retailers to JD (京东) logistics partners — rebalance risk between short-term emergency responses and long-term Gulf strategies? For many on the ground, the answer is simple and blunt: stay put if you can, adapt operations, and wait for the next diplomatic move.