BEIJING, MAR 20: China called for an end to the war in the Middle East on Friday, warning of the impact on global energy, shipping and trade, with the nearly three-week-old conflict showing no sign of slowing.
“History and reality have repeatedly shown the world that force is not the solution to problems and armed conflict will only breed new hatred,” Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said when asked whether Beijing had a message for Muslim communities as they mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
The “still widening war” in the Middle East harms the common interests of all countries, Lin said, repeating Beijing’s position that all sides in the Gulf conflict should cease fighting and that energy flows from the region should be unimpeded.
The remarks came on the 23rd anniversary of the Iraq War, which began in 2003 when US-led forces invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, partly on claims that his government possessed weapons of mass destruction.
That war resulted in years of chaos and instability and created a power vacuum that led to the rise of militant group, Daesh.
“The unjust war should not go on,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the French president’s top diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne in a call later on Friday.
As a fellow UN Security Council member, France should step up strategic coordination with China and “prevent other countries from becoming further involved” in the conflict, he said. Wang has spoken with counterparts from every permanent member of the Security Council except the United States since the war began.
Analysts say the conflict gives Beijing an opportunity to cast itself as the more reliable superpower.
The war has led to a meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump being delayed for about a month and a half. Trump’s China trip had been seen as a chance for a reset in relations between the two economic superpowers that have been rattled by US tariffs.
