Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken has urged China, an Iranian ally, to utilize its influence to promote peace in the Middle East.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the top US diplomat, who was visiting Saudi Arabia on Saturday, had a “fruitful” one-hour telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
“Our message was that he believes preventing the conflict from spreading is in our mutual interest,” Miller told reporters aboard Blinken’s aircraft en route from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi.
He believed it might be advantageous for China to exert its influence.
China maintains cordial diplomatic ties with Iran, where the clerical leadership provides backing to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant organization that may launch a secondary front against Israel, and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza and was responsible for the heinous attacks inside Israel a week ago.
Wang, for his part, stated that the United States should “play a constructive and responsible role, expeditiously bringing the issue back on track toward a political settlement,” the Chinese foreign ministry reported.
“Major countries must adhere to objectivity and fairness, maintain composure and restraint, and take the lead in abiding by international law when addressing hot-spot issues on the international stage,” Wang stated.
The Chinese foreign minister further stated that Beijing advocated for “the immediate convening of an international peace conference to facilitate the attainment of broad consensus.”
According to Wang, the core resolution to the Palestinian issue is the establishment of a “two-state solution.”
The lack of specific mention of Hamas in China’s official condemnations of violence during the conflict has prompted Western officials to criticize the statements, deeming them inadequate.
Although the United States views China as its primary global adversary, efforts have been made to stabilize their relationship; in June, Blinken paid an unusual visit to Beijing.
Miller cited the Middle East as an instance of a region in which the two superpowers might collaborate.
Amidst a variety of contentious trade and geopolitical issues, China-US relations have been significantly strained in recent years. This topic was also addressed during the phone conversation.
However, Wang indicated that some positive indicators existed.
Wang stated, “China and the United States have recently engaged in a series of high-level contacts, and it appears that bilateral relations have stabilized and ceased their downward trend.”
“(This) has been met with approval by the international community and the citizens of both nations.”