Kamal Ghorui
China on Wednesday said it had made its “own efforts” to push for a ceasefire between the United States and Iran. This come as US President Donald Trump also suggested that Beijing played an important role in bringing Tehran to the negotiating table.Addressing a regular briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning outlined Beijing’s diplomatic outreach but stopped short of directly confirming reports of its involvement in persuading Iran to agree to the truce.“China has consistently advocated for a ceasefire and to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic means, and to achieve long-term stability in the Gulf and Middle East region,” she said.“China made its own efforts in this regard,” she added.Mao’s remarks came hours after Iran and the US agreed to a two-week pause in hostilities, with talks now expected to focus on a more durable peace arrangement.Earlier, Trump told AFP that he believed China had helped bring Iran to the negotiating table. “I hear yes. Yes they were,” he said when asked about Beijing’s role in securing the ceasefire ahead of his deadline that had threatened strikes on Iranian infrastructure.However, China maintained a measured stance, highlighting its broader diplomatic engagement rather than claiming direct credit for the deal.According to Chinese officials, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held 26 phone conversations with key stakeholders since the conflict began, while Beijing’s special envoy has been engaged in shuttle diplomacy across the Gulf region.Last week, China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point peace initiative, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the protection of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor, Bloomberg reported.Underscoring close ties with Beijing, Iran’s envoy in China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, urged major powers to play a role in sustaining peace.“We hope different sides could guarantee that the US would not resume the war,” he said, calling on the UN Security Council and countries such as China and Russia, along with mediators like Pakistan and Turkey, to work together to stabilise the region.He added that Iran had been coordinating closely with “friendly countries, especially China”.The ceasefire announcement came in a dramatic turn of events, just hours before Trump’s self-imposed deadline that had raised fears of further escalation.The conflict, which began on February 28 following US-Israeli airstrikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, triggered weeks of missile and drone exchanges, sent global oil prices soaring and unsettled international markets. With the immediate pause now in place, attention has shifted to whether ongoing talks can translate into a longer-term peace framework in the region.
