SINGAPORE – China is willing to “play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquillity” in the Middle East, its top diplomat said on May 6 during talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing.

This comes amid a shaky US-Iran ceasefire and ahead of an expected meeting between the Chinese and US presidents.

China will work to “further de-escalate tensions, eliminate hostilities, (and) continue to provide assistance for the initiation of peace talks”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during the meeting, as reported by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

He also urged the parties involved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, continue peace talks and end the war immediately.

His counterpart said Iran will only accept “a fair and comprehensive agreement” in its negotiations with the US on ending the war in the Middle East, Iranian media reported the Iran envoy as saying in Beijing.

Mr Araghchi is the first senior Iranian official to visit China since the US and Israel struck Iran on Feb 28. Beijing’s invitation to him marked another step in a cautious push for the war to end, even as it has steered clear of direct involvement in the war.

Tehran has shut the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war, while the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and vessels in the area since April 13.

Both sides agreed to a ceasefire in early April, which US President Donald Trump extended