BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday, as Iran faces growing pressure to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping and reach a deal with the United States to end the war.
Araghchi’s one-day visit comes a week before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 14-15 for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including discussions on a comprehensive trade deal.
Wang Yi met with Araghchi, who is visiting Beijing for the first time since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war, to discuss the current situation caused by the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports to force Tehran to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.
China is a close partner of Iran and the largest buyer of Tehran’s crude oil.
Algazi’s visit comes against the backdrop of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing on Tuesday the end of major U.S. military operations against Iran.
Rubio told reporters at the White House that the “epic outrage” launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28 was over because its goals had been achieved.
Rubio earlier urged China to tell Araghchi that Iran’s actions were leading to the country’s “global isolation.”
During Araghchi’s visit to China, Rubio reiterated Iran’s need to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway that supplies more than 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies.
Media reports quoted Rubio as saying: “I want the Chinese to tell him what he needs to know. And that’s what you’re doing in the Strait that’s causing you to be isolated globally.”
“You are the bad guy in this,” he said, adding that China was more affected by Iran’s actions in the strait than the United States because its export-driven economy relies on the shipment of goods through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said that it is in China’s interest for Iran to stop closing the Strait. Many countries want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, but some countries cannot.
Both China and the United States hope to see the West Asian war end before Trump visits China.
It has been widely reported that Beijing has been helping Pakistan, which is currently mediating between the United States and Iran to end the conflict.
Beijing, which has close ties with other Gulf states, is reportedly advising Tehran to strike a deal with Washington.
The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has been strongly criticized by China, which is putting pressure on Beijing to increase energy supplies.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
