China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again, in a meeting in Beijing with Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Reuters reported, citing China's state news agency Xinhua.
Source: Reuters
Dialogue and negotiation are the way to resolve Middle East conflicts, Wang told Bagheri Kani, according to Xinhua. Wang also said China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security.
Source: Reuters
A war that has 'spread beyond the region'
In a fuller Chinese foreign ministry account of the meeting, Wang said the war had become protracted and spread beyond the region. "All parties should act responsibly towards their people and history, moving towards a common goal and focusing on a political solution with a rational and pragmatic spirit, rather than resorting to force again," he said. Wang added that China was willing to advance President Xi Jinping's initiatives aimed at easing regional tensions and to work with all sides to restore peace.
Source: South China Morning Post
For his part, Bagheri Kani said Tehran would not compromise on defending its sovereignty, national security or territorial integrity, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, as reported in coverage of the Chinese foreign ministry statement.
Source: South China Morning Post
Why it matters beyond Beijing and Tehran
The Beijing meeting came on the same day Iranian negotiators were reported to have left talks with Qatari mediators aimed at ending the Iran war, with a draft proposal circulating and a follow-up meeting possible. China's public backing for a negotiated settlement, delivered directly to a senior Iranian security official, adds a second diplomatic track alongside the Qatar-mediated channel.
For the lakhs of Punjabi and Indian workers who live and work across the Gulf, any return to open fighting carries direct risks — to jobs, flights, remittances and safety around the Strait of Hormuz energy corridor — which is why a political track, however slow, is watched closely in the region and in Punjab alike.