China willing to play bigger role in restoring Mid-East peace: Wang Yi

China is willing to “play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquillity” in the Middle East, its top diplomat said on May 6 during talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing. This comes amid a shaky US-Iran ceasefire and ahead of an expected meeting between the Chinese and US presidents. Chinese foreign policy expert Dylan Loh from NTU said: “It’s still an open question how far China is willing to go to exercise its influence on both Iran and the US as there’s a difference between what is said and what is done. “What’s clear is that in recent weeks, China is much more prepared to speak directly about Hormuz and the war in Iran.” Associate Professor Loh added: “The longer the war drags on, the more China will feel its interests in the Gulf region are threatened. China also does not want any surprises in the immediate lead-up to the Xi-Trump summit and does not want anything else to overshadow it.”

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