BEIJING: China said on Thursday it has been engaging with multiple countries in the Middle East and stressed that war is not the solution to resolving disputes.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that China is “gravely concerned” about the tense situation in the region.
She said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had held phone conversations with his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to exchange views on the evolving regional developments.
According to Mao, Wang emphasized that military operations should stop immediately and that all parties should return to dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible.
She added that continued escalation of the conflict does not serve the interests of any country.
“China believes that war and force cannot resolve issues once and for all. Dialogue and negotiation are the correct ways forward, and disputes and differences should be settled through political and diplomatic means,” Mao said.
She also announced that China will soon send its special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, to the region to engage with regional stakeholders and help promote de-escalation.
Meanwhile, Israel and the United States have continued a large-scale offensive against Iran since Saturday, in which at least 926 people have been reported killed, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries hosting US military facilities.
