China and Pakistan call on US, Iran to resume talks, cease hostilities

China and Pakistan on Friday called on the United States and Iran to end fighting and return to the negotiating table, after they met in Shanghai, according to a government statement issued by Beijing. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar jointly “expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities… (and) return to dialogue”, the statement by Beijing’s foreign ministry said. Both countries have sought to mediate in the months-long Middle East conflict, which rekindled with renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz a month after the signing of a preliminary deal aiming to end the war. That agreement was “hard-won”, Wang said. “Peace is before our eyes, (we) cannot fall at the last hurdle and even more so cannot lose what we have gained,” he added. It should be mentioned that DPM Dar was in Shanghai for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday issued a handout about the meeting between the two. It said that the two sides reviewed the “broad canvas of Pakistan-China bilateral relations”. “They expressed satisfaction over the continued strength and steady growth of the bilateral partnership. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepening the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” it said. It added that the two sides also underscored the importance of advancing high-quality development under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0. “They agreed to strengthen practical cooperation and enhance collaboration in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy and artificial intelligence,” the statement said. “They also exchanged views on the latest regional and global developments. Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to maintain close coordination and continue consultations on issues of mutual interest. Both leaders also reiterated their commitment to continue cooperation at multilateral fora,” it said. “The meeting further reinforced Pakistan-China strategic cooperation. It also reflected the shared commitment of the two countries to innovation-driven development and cooperation in emerging technologies,” the statement concluded. The development comes as Iran said it launched fresh attacks on US facilities in the Gulf on Friday after a sixth consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month’s truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks. The renewed fighting since July 8 has cast doubt on the future of ​the Islamabad MoU agreement signed on June 18 that aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations. Pakistan, one of two countries mediating between the US and Iran, has expressed its concern at the resumption of hostilities and called on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability. In March, both Pakistan and China had also issued a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict. It was released after a meeting between Dar and Wang in Beijing.