BEIJING: China’s top diplomat condemned on Sunday (Mar 8) the war in the Middle East, saying it “should never have happened” and calling once again for an immediate end to hostilities.
Speaking in a wide-ranging press conference on the sidelines of China’s Two Sessions, Wang Yi described how the region was currently “engulfed in flames”.
“This is a war that should never have happened – and it is a war that benefits no party,” said Wang, who is China’s foreign minister and the country’s top diplomat by virtue of his concurrent role as head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party.
The conflict erupted on Feb 28 when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Tehran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in nearby countries, mainly in the Gulf.
Israel has also launched fresh attacks in Lebanon after the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah fired rockets and drones across the border.
Beijing has previously blasted US and Israeli military actions in Iran, with which it has diplomatic and trade ties, and condemned in particular the killing of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Wang repeated this refrain on Sunday, calling for an immediate end to the fighting.
“Meeting force with force will only breed new hatred and lay the seeds for new crises,” he said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-wang-yi-condemn-middle-east-war-us-israel-iran-5979591
