Pakistan PM arrives for China visit overshadowed by Iran war<\/p>\n
BEIJING: Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in China on\nSaturday (May 23), Chinese state media said, kicking off a four-day trip\novershadowed by the Iran war.<\/p>\n
The Chinese foreign ministry has yet to confirm whether the conflict\nin the Middle East will be discussed, though both Islamabad and Beijing\nhave sought to mediate it.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump has described the stop-start negotiations\nwith Iran as teetering on the \u201cborderline\u201d between renewed attacks and a\ndeal to end the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in\nFebruary and has engulfed the Middle East and roiled the global\neconomy.<\/p>\n
Sharif \u201carrived in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Saturday to begin\na four-day official visit to China\u201d, state news agency Xinhua said,\nwithout elaborating.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun\nsaid only that \u201cissues of common concern\u201d would be discussed.<\/p>\n
Guo has said that China would work with Pakistan to \u201cmake positive\ncontributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the\nMiddle East\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina supports Pakistan in playing a fair and balanced mediating\nrole in promoting peace and ending the war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the United States\nand Iran, hosting historic face-to-face talks last month that failed to\nyield a lasting agreement.<\/p>\n
Its army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran on\nThursday, Iranian media reported.<\/p>\n
China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings\nwith officials of affected Gulf countries.<\/p>\n
After high-profile talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing\nlast week, Trump told Fox News the Chinese leader had offered Beijing\u2019s\nhelp to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - a key oil route largely blocked\nsince the war erupted.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Islamabad this month to \u201cstep\nup mediation efforts\u201d in the Middle East, speaking to his Pakistani\ncounterpart Ishaq Dar in a call.<\/p>\n
In the past two weeks, Beijing has hosted visits from Trump and\nRussian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pakistan-pm-arrives-for-china-visit-overshadowed-by-iran-war-1779541937", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }