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Ukraine war
ChinaDiplomacy

World expects China to take bigger role in regional issues after Iran-Saudi deal, foreign minister says

  • Qin Gang also insists that Beijing ‘has always upheld an objective and impartial stance, actively promoting peace talks’ on Ukraine
  • Both Moscow and Kyiv have welcomed Chinese efforts to push for a ceasefire, including its peace plan, he tells state media

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Foreign Minister Qin Gang sought to cast China as a peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict. Photo: AFP
Cyril Ip
China’s foreign minister says the international community expects Beijing to get more involved in regional issues after it brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to re-establish diplomatic ties.
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President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December and Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi’s stopover in China in February laid the groundwork for secret talks in Beijing earlier this month that resulted in the two feuding nations agreeing to restore relations and reopen embassies, seven years after they cut ties.

Foreign Minister Qin Gang said there was an expectation for China “to play a greater role in resolving regional hotspot issues” following the success of its mediation efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi (centre) with Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban (left) and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing on March 10. Photo: China Daily via Reuters
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi (centre) with Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban (left) and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing on March 10. Photo: China Daily via Reuters
He made the remarks to Chinese state media on Wednesday, elaborating on Xi’s three-day visit to Russia this week, when Ukraine was on the agenda during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“Since the eruption of the Ukrainian crisis, China has always upheld an objective and impartial stance, actively promoting peace talks,” Qin said, according to a foreign ministry statement.

“China is neither the creator of, nor the party involved in, the Ukrainian crisis, but an advocate for a political solution to the crisis and a promoter of peace talks.”

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According to Qin, both Russia and Ukraine have welcomed Chinese efforts pushing for a ceasefire, including its 12-point peace plan released in February that calls for a gradual de-escalation and opposes the use of nuclear weapons.
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