China says supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that Beijing supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security amid threats of renewed US strikes on Iran.
Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani in Beijing.
The Chinese official said all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again, stressing that dialogue and negotiation are the way to resolve the conflicts.
As fighting in the Middle East drags on and its spillover effects spread, dialogue and negotiations offer the way forward, Wang said.
China stands ready to work with all parties to continue efforts to restore regional peace, guided by its initiatives and proposals for easing tensions in the Middle East, he said.
Bagheri Kani, for his part, said his country would firmly safeguard its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and resist threats.
Iran is also willing to engage in talks and negotiations with all parties and work actively for regional peace and stability, he said.
He expressed appreciation for China’s initiatives and proposals and its consistent commitment to multilateralism, saying Iran looks forward to China playing a greater role in international and regional peace.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Omani leader Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said that the Middle East and Persian Gulf region should not become a “wrestling ground for major-country rivalry and geopolitical conflicts”.
In a China-Oman joint statement that followed, Muscat said it supports the Chinese peace proposals for the Middle East, and looks forward to a “greater role” by Beijing in achieving lasting stability in the region.
China also announced that its special envoy to the Middle East would visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month.
This month, China will send its Middle East envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia as a part of “shuttle diplomacy visits... aimed at promoting peace talks (and) easing tensions”, a ministry spokesperson told a regular news briefing.