Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a four-point roadmap for lasting peace in the Middle East conflict, after the United States and Iran failed to reach a breakthrough in Pakistan-brokered Islamabad talks held over the weekend.
Xi made the proposal during a meeting in Beijing with UAE crown prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE crown prince is the first Middle East leader to visit China after the conflict broke out between the US, Israel, and Iran.
The Chinese President said the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of countries in the West Asia and Gulf region should be fully respected.
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The development comes even as the first round of talks between the United States and Iran concluded in Islamabad without any agreement. US President Donald Trump hinted on Tuesday that a second round of talks could happen in Pakistan “over the next two days”.
What is China’s four-point proposal
According to China’s Xinhua news agency, the four points proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping are:
- Xi has called for an adherence to the principle of peaceful coexistence. He called for promoting a common, comprehensive and cooperative and sustainable security architecture for the Middle East region.
- He has urged adherence to the principle of national sovereignty. He said sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the Gulf nations should be fully respected.
- He also underscored the principles of coordinating development and security. He added that all parties should work together to create a favourable environment for development in the region.
- Finally, the Chinese President highlighted the need to safeguard international rule-based order. He said international rule of law should be upheld “to prevent the world from falling back into the law of the jungle”.
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On Monday, China called for an unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz after Trump announced plans to blockade the trade route.
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokehold in the international shipping route, has been at the centre of the contest between the US and Iran.
What’s latest on peace talks
Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to Middle East: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a four-day diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday.
Trump says war ‘close to over’: US President Trump has said that the war with Iran is “very close to being over”. He was speaking during an interview with FOX Business earlier in the day.
Also Read: US, Iran prepare to exit war as fatigue and costs kick in; Pakistan will get peace bonus
Vance says Iran must commit to ‘no nuclear weapon’: US Vice President JD Vance, who leads the US delegation in peace talks, said Trump has told Iran that the US would “make Iran thrive” if it committed to “not having a nuclear weapon”. Tehran’s nuclear programme has been the long-standing dispute between the two countries and also the prime cause behind Trump launching the war against Iran.
Israel, Lebanon agree to direct talks: Israel and Lebanon have agreed to hold direct negotiations after “productive discussions” between the two sides in Washington, the US State Department has said.
