The US’s top diplomat, currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia, engaged in a”productive” one-hour phone conversation with China’s Foreign Minister WangYi, as stated by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
He conveyed that the message was about the shared interest in preventingthe conflict from spreading and suggested that China’s influence could bebeneficial.
China maintains a warm relationship with Iran, whose clerical leadershipsupports both Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group governing Gaza,responsible for recent attacks in Israel, and Hezbollah, the Lebanesemilitant group potentially opening a second front against Israel.
Wang, in response, emphasized that the United States should play aconstructive and responsible role to facilitate a political settlement. Healso stressed the importance of objectivity, fairness, adherence tointernational law, and the need for an international peace meeting togarner broad consensus.
Wang reiterated support for a “two-state solution” as the fundamentalapproach to the Palestinian issue. Notably, China’s official statementshaven’t explicitly named Hamas in their condemnations of violence, drawingcriticism from some Western officials.
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Despite the US considering China as its primary global challenger, effortshave been made to stabilize their relationship, with Secretary Blinken’srare visit to Beijing in June. Miller highlighted that the Middle East isan area where these two powers can collaborate.
The phone call also included a discussion on China-US relations, whichhave faced significant strains in recent years due to various trade andgeopolitical issues.
Nevertheless, Wang expressed optimism about recent high-level contacts,indicating a halt to the deterioration and a move toward stabilization inbilateral relations.