The war between the United States and Israel in Iran has now entered its ninth day and shows no signs of abating. Amid the ongoing conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated Beijing’s call for an immediate ceasefire to “prevent the situation from escalating and prevent the flames of war from spilling over and spreading,” CNN reported.
Yi presented the country as a defender of peace and stability and said on Sunday (local time) that the conflict should never have happened and no one should benefit from it. Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s legislature, he portrayed Beijing as the world’s most important force for peace, stability and justice.
He added: “All parties should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and resolve their differences through equal dialogue.”
Beijing’s growing fears of an Iran war
Beijing’s growing concern over an Iran war comes as the country’s supreme leader Xi Jinping prepares to host US President Donald Trump for key talks between the two sides later this month. The summit between the two leaders is expected to address a wide range of high-profile issues such as trade frictions and Taiwan. With the Iran war raging and Trump pushing for “unconditional surrender,” it appears another layer of complications has been added to the impending talks between Xi Jinping and Trump.
Ties between China and Iran
According to the report, Iran’s leaders have long had close ties with Beijing. China, like several other countries, has expressed concern over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the February 28 strikes, as well as a spike in oil prices and the potential impact of the escalating conflict on the global economy.
Is Beijing a reliable superpower?
Amid escalating tensions, Beijing is now seizing the opportunity to project itself as a reliable and responsible superpower, a sharp contrast to the US, which has brought uncertainty to the world through wars, the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and a global trade war against China and several of its closest allies.
Arguing that China is a reliable superpower, Wang Yi said Beijing has provided the most valuable source of stability and security to a turbulent world, adding that it has become an irreplaceable anchor amid global chaos.
US-China ties
Although projecting himself as a reliable superpower, Wang called for continued cooperation with Washington to resolve and resolve key differences. He added that Xi Jinping and Trump have set an example in helping bilateral relations between the two countries achieve stability despite turbulence.
“Now, both sides need to thoroughly prepare, foster a favorable environment, manage existing differences and eliminate unnecessary interference.”
He further said that both Washington and Beijing are major powers and neither can change the other, but rather should focus on changing the way the two sides interact.
