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China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, expressed regret over a conflict he deemed unnecessary and fruitless during a recent news briefing held alongside China’s annual legislative meeting.
Wang emphasized China’s role as a pivotal advocate for global peace, stability, and justice, urging an immediate ceasefire to halt any further escalation and prevent the conflict from spreading beyond its current borders.
He further insisted on the importance of all involved parties returning to the negotiation table promptly, advocating for the resolution of disputes through balanced and open dialogue.
This statement from China comes amid rising concerns regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, especially as President Xi Jinping gears up to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing later this month for significant discussions between the two economic powerhouses.
The upcoming summit is set to tackle a broad spectrum of pressing issues, ranging from trade tensions to the situation concerning Taiwan.
Adding a new layer of complication to the impending talks is now a rapidly escalating war in the Middle East.
Iran’s leaders have long had close relations with Beijing.
China – like many other nations – has looked on with alarm at the killing of Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as the spike in oil prices and hit to the global economy sparked by the escalating conflict.
More than a week after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the war has shown no signs of abating.
Beijing has provided “the most precious source of stability and certainty for a turbulent world, becoming an irreplaceable anchor amid global chaos”, Wang argued yesterday.
At the same time, however, Wang called for continued engagement with Washington to address key differences, as he signalled his welcome for the upcoming summit between Xi and Trump.
He said the two nations’ leaders have set an example in helping the bilateral relationship achieve overall stability despite turbulence.
“What is needed now is for both sides to make thorough preparations, foster a conducive environment, manage existing differences, and eliminate unnecessary interference,” Wang said Sunday, in response to a question by CNN’s Steven Jiang.
“China and the United States are both major powers, and neither can change the other — but we can change the way we interact,” he added, urging the US to move in the same direction.
At the same venue last year – shortly after Trump fired the first tariff salvo against China of his new administration, Wang warned the US against a “two-faced approach” in its relations with China, emphasising that Beijing “resolutely opposes power politics and hegemony”.
If the message last year was of warning amid uncertainties, the one this year was marked by confidence. China has largely weathered Trump’s tariff attacks and validated its hardball strategy – while elevating its global standing as the American president triggers upheaval around the world.
A parade of traditionally close US allies, from French President Emmanuel Macron to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have visited China over the last few months – in a sign of Beijing’s successful effort in courting them.
Wang made a nod to that development.
“We have noted that an increasing number of insightful figures in Europe recognise that China is not a competitor, but a global partner,” he said, while urging more cooperation and trade between the two blocs.
The Chinese foreign minister also appeared to respond to Trump’s attempt to position his Board of Peace as an alternative to the United Nations, vowing to champion multilateralism and protect the global organisation.
“Attempts to bypass the UN and start anew, to pursue a separate system, or to cobble together small blocs and exclusive circles gain no support and are unsustainable,” Wang said.
Wang’s press conference, however, did not address many of the issues that have rattled other countries and China’s neighbours at a time of growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has flooded the global market with its exports and weaponised its dominance in the production of rare earths, risking major disruption to the global supply chain.
It has also stepped up military pressure against Taiwan as well as naval confrontations with the Philippines and Japan
Wang also made no mention of Ukraine, now in its fifth year of war with Moscow, while stressing China’s relation with Russia is “unmoved by wind and rain, as stable as a mountain”.
Since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Beijing has refused to criticise Russia and has remained its key partner, acting as a crucial economic and diplomatic lifeline.
“China and Russia share a high level of political mutual trust,” Wang said.
“Standing back‑to‑back is a defining feature of the China–Russia relationship.
“We are not afraid of any external provocation or pressure.”
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