No-Nonsense Move: China to Send Envoy to the Middle East to Mediate Iran and the United States–Israel

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged to send a special envoy to mediate in the Middle East. The pledge followed separate telephone conversations between Wang and his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah that he valued Riyadh’s ‘restraint’ and its efforts to resolve differences through peaceful means. He also told UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan that China regards attacks on civilians as a ‘red line’.

As the war continues, it is likely that there will be differences between the prerogatives of Israel and the United States. Separately, Jakarta announced that Indonesia will redirect a portion of its crude oil imports to the United States.