China calls for restraint and talks as Iran tensions test regional security
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Beijing will deepen dialogue with Iran, while urging Tehran and Washington to reopen negotiations and restore access through the Strait of Hormuz.
China has offered to strengthen dialogue with Iran and safeguard what it calls Tehran’s legitimate rights and interests, as regional tensions continue to focus attention on the Strait of Hormuz.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comments during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing. Wang urged Iran and the United States to remain rational and restrained, and called for effective measures to reopen the strategic waterway.
Wang also warned against tensions spreading further into Yemen and the Red Sea. He said Tehran and Washington should rebuild their negotiation mechanism on the basis of agreements reached so far.
The Chinese foreign minister described the Middle East’s existing security architecture as inadequate, saying it needed to be reformed and strengthened. He said China was prepared to promote peace, fairness and justice in the region.
The meeting came a week before a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump. Any discussions about Iran or the Strait of Hormuz remain prospective.
China is a major economic partner of Iran and its largest buyer of Iranian crude oil. Beijing has also denied US media reports that Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite imagery of a military base housing US troops in Jordan. Trump said in April that he had asked Xi not to sell weapons to Iran.
