China’s foreign minister on Wednesday called for a comprehensive ceasefire within the Iran war, in comments that would inject latest energy into stalled efforts to finish the two-month conflict between the USA and Iran.
Wang Yi said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict. He spoke after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing for the primary time because the war with the U.S. and Israel began Feb. 28.
China’s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a novel position of influence. The Trump administration is pressing China to make use of that relationship to induce the Islamic Republic to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The Chinese minister’s comments followed an earlier statement by U.S. President Donald Trump that he was pausing his short-lived U.S. effort to guide stranded industrial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz in hopes that a deal might be finalized. A shaky ceasefire has been largely holding, despite exchanges of fireplace throughout the U.S. push to reopen the strait on Monday.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, an important waterway through which major oil and gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products passed before the war, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing, rattled the worldwide economy and put enormous economic pressure on countries, including major powers like China.
The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell to around US$100 per barrel Wednesday, easing significantly from big price jumps earlier within the week. The costs are still well above the roughly US$70 a barrel that crude was selling for before the war began.
Araghchi’s visit to China comes ahead of a planned visit by Trump to Beijing for a high-profile summit May 14-15 with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The trip could be Trump’s first to China during his second term and the primary by a U.S. president since Trump visited in 2017.
“We imagine that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities will not be acceptable, and that it is especially essential to stay committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said, in accordance with a video of the meeting.
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The Chinese foreign minister said the conflict “has already lasted for greater than two months. It has not only caused serious losses to the Iranian people, but in addition had a severe impact on regional and global peace. China is deeply distressed by this.”
In a televised interview with Iran’s state media from Beijing, Araghchi said his visit included discussions of the Strait of Hormuz in addition to Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Iran has attained “an elevated international standing” after the war, having proven its capabilities and strength, Araghchi said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that Beijing would reiterate the necessity for Iran to release its chokehold on the strait, which might deny its fundamental leverage as Trump demands a significant rollback of Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
“I hope the Chinese tell him what he must be told,” Rubio said during a White House briefing Tuesday. “And that’s that what you’re doing within the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy on this.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing has made clear that the relevant sides must act “with prudence” and resolve the conflict through dialogue to be able to restore peace. He added that China has been actively promoting peace talks and can proceed to accomplish that.
In a press release published on the ministry’s website about Wang’s meeting with Araghchi, the foreign ministry said China values Iran’s pledge to not pursue nuclear weapons while affirming its “legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
Trump pauses Hormuz effort
Tons of of merchant ships remain bottled up within the Persian Gulf. The U.S. said it had opened a protected shipping lane Monday and sunk six small Iranian boats that had threatened industrial ships within the strait. Only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the U.S.-guarded route.
But Trump announced he was pausing the trouble, dubbed Project Freedom, to see whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war might be reached.
In a social media post Tuesday, Trump said the move was based “on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we now have had throughout the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, moreover, the proven fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
Pakistan has been mediating between the U.S. and Iran, and had hosted peace talks between the 2 sides.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for what he described as a timely announcement of a pause in the trouble to guide ships out of the strait.
In a post on X, Sharif said Trump’s response to requests from Pakistan and other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, would help advance regional peace, stability and reconciliation.
“Pakistan stays firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promote restraint and a peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy,” Sharif said. “We’re very hopeful that the present momentum will result in a long-lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond.”
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