President Xi vows China’s constructive role in first remarks on Iran War
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[BEIJING] Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would continue to play a constructive role in the Middle East by promoting peace and dialogue, his first public statement on the conflict since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February.
“Xi Jinping underscored China’s principled stance of promoting peace and dialogue, and reiterated that China would continue to play a constructive role in this regard,” China’s state television cited Xi as saying to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed during a meeting on Tuesday (Apr 14) morning in Beijing.
Xi also put forward a four-point proposal for maintaining peace in the Middle East, including upholding the principles of peaceful coexistence, sovereignty, rule of international law and the pursuit of development and security, according to the read-out.
The Chinese president also touted shared principles to counter global disorder in a separate meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was in Beijing for an official visit on Tuesday.
The Abu Dhabi crown prince is the first leader from the Middle East that Xi has met since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.
The United Arab Emirates has been hit by Iranian strikes as Teheran targeted energy infrastructure across the region, crippling refineries, petrochemical and liquefied natural gas facilities, and forced some of the world’s biggest oil producers to slash production.
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The durability of the ceasefire that began earlier in April is now being tested, with US President Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which took effect on Monday.
The US and Iran are in discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations after meetings in Islamabad over the weekend ended in failure, Bloomberg reported earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged the international community to step up efforts to promote peace talks between Iran and the US, warning that the current truce remains fragile.
The top Chinese envoy made the remarks during a call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, according to a read-out from China’s Foreign Ministry.
Wang praised Pakistan for helping broker a temporary ceasefire and for hosting talks in Islamabad. BLOOMBERG
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