Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif begins four-day visit to China amid fragile US-Iran truce
prime minister of pakistan Shehbaz Sharif Arrives in China days after beginning a four-day visit to China on Saturday US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.He arrived in the Zhejiang province city of Hangzhou, state news agency Xinhua reported, without providing further details.The visit comes amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, with Pakistan playing a mediating role between the two sides.However, China’s foreign ministry has not yet confirmed whether Chinese President Xi Jinping and Sharif will discuss the Middle East conflict.Earlier this week, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said only “issues of common concern” would be discussed.“China supports Pakistan in playing a fair and balanced mediation role in promoting peace and ending the war,” he told reporters.Islamabad has emerged as the public mediator between Washington and Tehran, holding historic face-to-face talks last month but failing to reach a lasting deal.Meanwhile, Beijing has taken a quieter diplomatic role, providing phone calls and meetings with officials from Gulf states affected by Iran’s attacks since the conflict sparked by a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28.The war has been on hold since Trump announced a ceasefire on April 8.In recent days, however, U.S. leaders have described on-again, off-again talks with Iran as “on the borderline” between renewed military action and a possible deal to end the conflict.After high-profile talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, Trump told Fox News that Chinese counterparts had offered to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a key oil shipping route that has been effectively blocked by Iran since the war began.The Republican leader’s visit to Beijing is the first by a sitting U.S. president since 2017, when Trump himself visited China during his first term.(Using AFP input)
