Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that Beijing would play a constructive role in promoting peace talks in the Middle East, following the collapse of the first round of US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend.
Chinese state media quoted Xi as saying that China would continue its efforts to facilitate talks and support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. He reiterated Beijing’s position that dialogue and negotiation should take precedence over military confrontation.
Xi’s statement came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the escalation of the conflict and the US blockade of Iranian ports. China and Russia have maintained a partnership and have aligned their positions on the Iran war, both vetoing a UN Security Council resolution on April 7 that sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Wang Yi on Monday told the UAE’s special envoy to China that blocking the Strait of Hormuz does not serve the interests of the international community, and said China supports achieving a comprehensive ceasefire through political and diplomatic means.
The US declared a blockade on all Iranian ports on Monday at 1400 GMT, a move that drew criticism from China, Russia, ASEAN, and several European nations. Iran responded by warning that no port in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman would be safe. France and the United Kingdom announced a joint effort to build a multinational mission to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait, separate from the warring parties.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, signaling that Islamabad intends to keep its mediation role alive despite the breakdown of talks.
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