China Sends Envoy Zhai Jun to Middle East to Mediate Escalating Conflict

Speaking at a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the country believes that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solutions to resolving disputes and that the continued escalation of the conflict serves no one's interests.

"China will send Zhai Jun, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue, to the Middle East soon to work actively for the de-escalation of the tensions," she said.

She added that China will continue to maintain communication with all parties involved and work with the international community to build consensus aimed at reducing tensions, adding that Beijing is "gravely concerned" over the tense situation in the Middle East and has been in close contact with several countries in recent days.

"The protraction and escalation of the conflict serves no one's interest. China believes that war and force cannot solve issues once and for all, dialogue and negotiation are the right solutions, and political and diplomatic settlement of disputes and differences should be upheld. China will continue to work with all parties, including parties to the conflict, to maintain communication, further engage with other parties, and build consensus," Mao Ning said.

"China is gravely concerned over the tense situation in the Middle East. Over the past few days, China has intensively reached out to various parties," she added.

This comes amid escalating tensions in West Asia after a joint US-Israel military strike on Saturday on Iranian territory resulted in the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a fierce response from Tehran.

In retaliation, Iran launched waves of drone and missile attacks across multiple Arab countries as the conflict now entered its sixth day.

Tehran's counter-strikes have also targeted American military bases and Israeli assets throughout the region, with Israel also continuing its strikes on Tehran and widening the conflict to Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson further said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held phone conversations with his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the regional situation and during the discussions, Wang stressed that the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter should be upheld and called for rejecting the arbitrary use of force in international relations.

She noted that the Chinese Foreign Minister also urged an immediate halt to military operations and called for an early return to dialogue and negotiations to prevent further escalation and the expansion of the conflict, and called on the parties involved to fulfil their international obligations, ensure the safety of civilians and avoid attacks on civilian infrastructure.

- ANI