Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

China to Deploy Special Envoy to Defuse Middle East Tensions


(MENAFN) China is dispatching a special envoy to the Middle East to spearhead diplomatic mediation efforts among regional powers, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced Wednesday.

Wang revealed the move during a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, according to a Beijing state-run news agency.

In a simultaneous outreach effort, Wang held a separate call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, asserting that even amid active conflict, "the red line on protecting civilians must not be crossed." He reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to resolving the crisis through dialogue rather than force.

The diplomatic intervention comes as the Middle East teeters on the edge of broader war. US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which commenced Feb. 28, have claimed more than 850 lives — including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and over 150 elementary schoolgirls, per Iranian authorities. Tehran has since launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes on US-linked targets across Gulf nations, killing six American service members and wounding several others.

Wang's latest remarks extend a week of intensive Chinese diplomacy across all sides of the conflict. On Tuesday, he cautioned Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar that military pressure on Iran was not a viable path to resolution. Earlier in the week, he urged Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to acknowledge and address the "reasonable concerns" of neighboring countries.

Beijing has consistently and publicly opposed the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. At a United Nations Security Council session on Monday, China formally condemned attacks on children in conflict zones, citing reports of an Israeli airstrike that killed dozens of schoolgirls on Iranian soil.

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