China sends its Middle East envoy on a planned three-country tour
China announced that its Middle East envoy Zhai Jun would visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in November. The planned shuttle diplomacy follows meetings with Iranian and Omani officials in Beijing, where Chinese leaders urged negotiations over the regional war. China and Oman also called for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and renewed US–Iran dialogue.
Geopolitics··Night
Zhai Jun will visit three Gulf states
China’s foreign ministry announced on Monday that Zhai Jun, its special envoy for Middle East affairs, would visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in November. The planned itinerary adds shuttle diplomacy to Beijing’s contacts over the regional war. The announcement came as Chinese leaders received senior Iranian and Omani officials in the capital. Beijing is a major energy importer and a leading buyer of Iranian oil, while war has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.[1], [2]
Wang urges negotiations in meeting with Iranian official
Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s senior security policy body. Wang called for dialogue and negotiation as fighting continued and threatened to spread. He reiterated China’s support for Iran’s sovereignty and security. Beijing has blamed the United States and Israel for starting the conflict. The envoy’s announced journey is a further round of planned diplomatic contacts rather than a completed agreement on ending the war.[1]
China and Oman call for safe Hormuz navigation
President Xi Jinping hosted Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in the first visit by an Omani head of state since diplomatic relations began in 1978. Their joint statement called for safe navigation through Hormuz and renewed US–Iran dialogue. Oman faces Iran across the strait, and some of its ports lie outside it. China and Oman signed 14 cooperation documents covering artificial intelligence, green energy and supply chains, plus a currency swap agreement. Xi said the Middle East and Gulf should not become an arena for great-power rivalry.[1]
