China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan while rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations push for any use of force to open the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Associated Press on April 4.
AP reported that the latest effort fits China’s broader campaign to demonstrate a more prominent role in global affairs, even as the Trump administration appeared to show little enthusiasm for Chinese mediation. The Associated Press also reported that the Trump administration’s posture toward Beijing’s diplomacy could shift if President Donald Trump weighs in before a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-May.
In Washington, Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, told AP that “The war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region,” adding that it is “an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative.” AP reported that a former senior U.S. diplomat, Danny Russel, characterized China’s diplomacy differently, describing it as “performative” and comparing the five-point proposal with China’s 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which he said was “filled with platitudes but never acted on.”
AP said China’s embassy in Washington framed Beijing’s approach as persistent diplomacy. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China has been working “tirelessly for peace” since the outbreak of the war, according to AP.
On the U.S. side, AP reported that U.S. officials said the administration has soured on third-party mediation efforts and does not want to boost China’s international stature or give Beijing a chance to claim success in the Middle East. AP said three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity described the administration’s position on the Chinese-Pakistani effort as “agnostic,” neither endorsement nor rejection, and said it could change if Trump engages directly with China before his planned summit.
The Associated Press also reported that China’s push comes amid renewed attention to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries major energy and shipping traffic. The AP report said the war saw a major escalation on Friday when Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, the first such incident since the war began five weeks earlier, and noted that Trump told NBC News the escalation would not impact negotiations with Iran.
Analysts cited by AP said China may be trying to reduce risks to its own interests as the conflict persists. AP reported that while China has diversified energy sources and reduced dependence on fossil fuels, it still relies on Iran for about 13% of its oil imports. AP said China has worked with Tehran to allow passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the strait, and that China maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve. Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group, told AP that escalation would “start to harm Chinese interests,” adding that prolonged energy shocks and shipping disruption could raise costs and weaken global demand.
Wyne also told AP that China may see the diplomacy as a chance to suggest it is helping mitigate “a crisis of America’s making,” particularly as the Trump administration’s strategy for containing fallout appears unclear, AP reported. Another element of the calculus, AP said, is timing: Sun Yun said there is no guarantee Trump will not postpone his trip to China again if the war continues, and AP said the trip was initially set for the end of March before Trump delayed it.
AP reported that China’s diplomacy has involved wide-ranging outreach since the war began. The AP account said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and told Iran China cherished its friendship while urging Israel to cease military actions and saying China would be willing to play a role in seeking peace. AP said Wang hosted Pakistan’s counterpart in Beijing this past week to discuss the five-point proposal and that he held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers, along with a special envoy visiting several countries.
The Associated Press reported that Wang also sought support from Europe by speaking with the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, telling her the plan reflected “broad, international consensus,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry. AP said Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting fighting was the most urgent matter. AP further reported that Wang spoke with Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain why China opposed Bahrain’s U.N. proposal and that Wang said actions by the U.N. Security Council should ease tensions “rather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire.”
AP reported that China and Russia argued that the U.S. or other countries could exploit a U.N.-backed mechanism to escalate the war, citing a United Nations diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Associated Press also said Bahrain watered down its proposal to authorize defensive—rather than offensive—action to allow safer transit through the strait, and that a vote was pushed back until next week. AP concluded that China argues a ceasefire is needed to solve the strait problem, but that its plan with Pakistan has met mostly silence from the United States.