WW III won’t start over this. China still does not have a sufficiently large blue-water navy.
Money is on getting a sufficiently large presence of the Chinese in the Persian Gulf region, to swoop in and “pacify” the smoldering conflict which promises to get very hot very quickly.
Why the Middle East? The access to relatively cheap oil, especially after the countries involved are invaded and colonized.
And China is looking for colonies.
Genghis Khan did it all back in the 13th Century, but he wasn’t after oil, just gold. The Muslims suffered greatly for their resistance then. Islam was nearly crushed altogether.
Nearly crushed, but not obliterated totally.
Don’t expect the Chinese to make the same mistake Genghis Khan did.
It has already started
Crimea, Ukraine, Syria, Chinese islands where half of the shipping of the world goes through to the east.
China’s Navy will be larger than our own Navy by 2020.