China ready to cooperate with Russia to ease Middle East tension, foreign minister says

BEIJING: China is willing to continue to cooperate with Russia at the U.N. Security Council ​and make efforts to cool down the Middle East situation, ‌Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Sunday.

Wang said the fundamental way to resolve navigation issues ​in the Strait of Hormuz is to achieve a ​ceasefire as soon as possible, adding that China has ⁠always advocated political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue ​and negotiation.

The foreign ministers’ call came ahead of a U.N. Security ​Council vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

As permanent UNSC members, China and ​Russia should “adopt an objective and balanced approach and seek to ​win greater understanding and support from the international community,” Wang told Lavrov, ‌according ⁠to a statement from his ministry.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the ministers discussed ways to achieve a rapid ceasefire and “launch a political-diplomatic dialogue.”

“Satisfaction was expressed at the coincidence in Russia’s ​and China’s approaches ​on most issues ⁠on the global agenda, including the situation around Iran, related to the unprovoked aggression of the U.S. ​and Israel against that country,” it said.

China has ​repeatedly ⁠called for a ceasefire in the Gulf region and Middle East, urging an end to the fighting that has run for more ⁠than ​a month and largely closed the ​Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping artery for oil and gas.