China says it’s ready to cooperate with Russia to ease Middle East tension

BEIJING — China is willing to continue to cooperate with Russia at the UN 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 UN 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 US 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. — Reuters