Middle East Heats Up, China Affirms Support for Iran

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and reaffirmed China’s support for Tehran’s position regarding the current situation in the Middle East. “As a comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and national dignity,” Wang Yi said during the meeting on Friday, held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Wang Yi noted that tensions in the Middle East Gulf region have escalated again recently, expressing Beijing’s deep concern. He stated that the memorandum of understanding signed over a month ago was a valuable result of mediation and negotiations by various parties, embodying the hopes of the Iranian people and the Middle East to end war and create peace and stability. He stressed that these efforts must not be in vain and that the door to negotiations, once opened, should not be closed. “As long as there is hope for peace, efforts should not be abandoned. The most urgent task now is to adhere to the direction of resolving disputes through negotiations and to return to implementing the understanding reached in the memorandum,” Wang Yi explained. He added that China would adhere to the four-point proposal put forward by President Xi Jinping on maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. China will also continue to support the mediation efforts of Pakistan and other parties, promote the early resumption of dialogue and negotiations among relevant parties, and properly handle the issue of the Strait of Hormuz. “China encourages the improvement of relations between neighbouring countries,” Wang Yi added, stating that China will work with others to formulate collective security for the Gulf states and contribute to the early restoration of peace and tranquillity in the Middle East region.