A week before U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China, the United States and Iran entered a military standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi visited China to meet with China's Director General of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. Attention is on whether China will again cast itself as a mediator and raise its profile, as it did with the U.S.-Iran truce agreement on the 2nd.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 6th, the two held talks in Beijing at 10 a.m. local time that day. Director General Wang and Minister Araghchi have spoken by phone more than three times since the war in Iran broke out in late February, but this is the first time Minister Araghchi has come to China. Xinhua said the visit took place at the request of the Chinese government.
According to Al Jazeera, the talks focused mainly on maintaining the truce and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Al Jazeera reported, "Minister Araghchi wants to know clearly how China will handle the Iran issue at the U.S.-China summit. In particular, he seeks assurances that China will not make concessions disadvantageous to Iran during the process of reaching agreement with the United States," adding, "In return, China wants a commitment that Iran will not take any steps to raise tensions or engage in dramatic actions until the U.S.-China summit."
Earlier, the United States and Iran agreed to a truce on the 2nd, but they engaged in armed clashes again after a month. Iran fired missiles and drones toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was being used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for crude oil exports, and the U.S. military launched the "Project Freedom" operation to support ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Right after the launch, a Korean vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz was damaged, raising fears of escalation, but President Trump ordered the operation halted two days later, saying there had been progress toward an agreement with Iran.
◇ D-8 to Trump's China visit… U.S. presses China to resolve Iran issue
Meanwhile, the United States is pressing China on multiple fronts, urging it to take an active role in resolving Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. China is a major trading partner and investor for Middle Eastern countries and wields significant influence across the region. In particular, because China imports most of Iran's crude oil and thus serves as Iran's financial lifeline, the U.S. side is demanding that China share part of the responsibility.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stressed in a Fox News interview the day before that "China needs to play a constructive role" to resolve Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary Bessent noted, "Iran is the largest state sponsor of terror, and China has purchased 90% of Iran's energy, which effectively means it is bankrolling the largest state sponsor of terror," adding, "We urge China to join us in supporting this international operation. We will see whether China will make diplomatic efforts to get Iran to open the strait."
The United States also tightened China-related sanctions over Iran. Late last month, the U.S. Treasury began sanctioning China's major refining conglomerate Hengli Group for importing Iranian crude and said it would also sanction shipping companies that transport Iranian oil to evade U.S. sanctions. Separately, it is sanctioning three Iranian exchanges and their front companies. The Treasury said they brokered foreign exchange transactions worth billions of dollars a year and helped Iran evade sanctions.
This public pressure on China comes ahead of the U.S.-China summit set for next week. President Trump also signaled his demands for China's role. In a White House interview on the 5th, he said, "The Iran issue will be one of the main agenda items (at the U.S.-China summit)," adding, "China has not challenged us, and I don't think it will going forward."
China is expected to continue its role as mediator. The aim is to strengthen the image of a responsible "major power" and further cement its standing in the international community. At the time of the truce agreement last month, China repeatedly emphasized its achievements as a mediator. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted "the restoration of peace and stability," saying, "Since the outbreak of war, China has consistently maintained an objective, fair, and balanced position and has played a role in promoting peace. Director General of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has had a total of 26 phone calls with Iran, Israel, and Russia, among others, and sent special envoys to mediate the war."