All posts tagged: Wang Yi

China FM Wang Yi tells Iran counterpart ‘talks better than fighting’

China FM Wang Yi tells Iran counterpart ‘talks better than fighting’

Published by Sam Flores

BEIJING: China’s top diplomat urged his Iranian counterpart in a phone call on Tuesday (Mar 24) that “talking is always better” than fighting, after Tehran denied Donald Trump’s claim that negotiations were underway. The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has spiralled throughout the Middle East and caused a worsening energy bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of global crude shipments. The US president said on Monday his administration was speaking with an unidentified “top person” among Iran’s leadership, as he extended by five days a deadline to hit the country’s power plants. But Tehran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insisted “no negotiations” were taking place, accusing Trump of seeking “to manipulate the financial and oil markets”. Beijing remains a key partner of Iran, but has said it “does not go along” with Tehran’s strikes on Gulf states hosting US bases and has urged a ceasefire. According to China’s foreign ministry, Wang Yi told Abbas Araghchi he hoped “all parties can seize every opportunity and window for …

China backs Iran ‘defending sovereignty’, vows to push for peace

China backs Iran ‘defending sovereignty’, vows to push for peace

Published by Sam Flores

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart on a call Monday (Mar 2) that Beijing supports Tehran defending itself against US-Israeli strikes, as war spread across the Middle East. Hundreds have died in Iran since Saturday when the United States and Israel began striking dozens of targets in the country. Tehran responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, Gulf states and a British base in Cyprus. Wang told Abbas Araghchi that Beijing “cherishes the traditional friendship between China and Iran, supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and supports Iran in protecting its legitimate rights and interests”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.  China had “urged the US and Israel to immediately cease military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions and prevent the conflict from spreading to the entire Middle East region”, Wang said according to CCTV. In a separate phone call with Oman’s foreign minister, also on Monday, Wang accused the United States and Israel of “violating the purposes and principles of the UN charter” …