Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi have voiced support for a new security framework in the Gulf as Beijing’s top diplomat urged a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Stating that countries in the Gulf and Middle East “should take their future into their own hands”, Wang in Beijing on Wednesday said China backed “the establishment of a regional peace and security framework led by regional countries”.
“Regarding the strait issue, the international community shares a common concern over restoring normal safe passage through the strait,” Beijing’s top diplomat added, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“China hopes that the parties concerned will respond promptly to the strong calls of the international community,” it said.
The talks – their first in person since the US-Israel war on Iran started on February 28 – took place about one week before US President Donald Trump’s long-awaited, delayed trip to Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
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