China has urged the US and Iran to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, next week in Washington.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the call during his meeting with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, who is on a one-day trip to Beijing, according to a statement by China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday.
The continued prolongation of the US-Iran conflict “is not in the common interest of the parties concerned and the international community,” Wang told Araghchi.
“China encourages Iran and the United States to stay rational and exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at an early date, rebuild the negotiation mechanism based on the consensus reached so far, and conduct substantive consultations on issues of respective concern,” Wang said.
The memorandum was signed in June after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar.
Red Sea
Backing Tehran’s dialogue with Gulf states, Wang called for mutual respect for territorial sovereignty and national security and “constructively safeguarding the common interests of the region.”
“We urge all parties to take effective measures to open the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, maintain the safety and smooth flow of international shipping lanes, and safeguard the stability of international energy transportation and supply chains,” said the Chinese foreign minister.
China does “not want regional tensions to spill further over into Yemen and the Red Sea,” Wang said, as the Yemeni Houthi group and Saudi Arabia engaged in air strikes.
“We call on all parties to stop further complicating the situation and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation,” he stressed.
Beijing to ‘safeguard Tehran’
Wang assured Araghchi that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, “is willing to play a constructive role in resolving international disputes.”
“China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, and China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” he said.
For his part, Araghchi accused Washington of repeatedly breaking its commitments, saying the US violated the Islamabad understanding less than three weeks after it was signed, according to a separate statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.
He said Iran seeks a return of calm to the region and friendly relations with its neighbours, adding that Tehran has begun talks with regional countries.
While stressing Iran’s readiness to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests, Araghchi said Tehran welcomes diplomatic solutions that safeguard what it considers the rights of the Iranian people.
He also said the regional situation had fundamentally changed since the war against Iran was launched in February, arguing that a new regional order based on dialogue and cooperation should have no place for the presence or interference of foreign forces.
Support for dialogue
Wang, according to the Iranian statement, described the US war against Iran as illegal and reiterated Beijing’s readiness to support dialogue and efforts to reduce tensions and restore regional peace and stability.
Wang last hosted Araghchi in Beijing in May, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi in Beijing.
Wednesday’s meeting marked their second in-person talks in the Chinese capital since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
China is one of the largest importers of Iranian oil, as the two countries maintain a “comprehensive strategic partnership", driven primarily by economic ties and discounted energy imports.
Bilateral trade volume climbed to over $41 billion last year.
