China calls for return to Islamabad pact as Xi set to meet Trump

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Iran and the United States on Wednesday to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at the earliest opportunity, warning that prolonged hostilities serve neither regional interests nor international stability, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry.

High-Level Discussions

Wang made the remarks during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who traveled to the Chinese capital for a one-day visit ahead of President Xi Jinping's planned summit with Donald Trump in Washington next week. The meeting marked their second encounter in Beijing since Washington and Tel Aviv launched large-scale military strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israeli territory and US bases across the region while diplomatic efforts have sought to prevent further escalation.

Diplomatic Initiative

The Islamabad MoU was signed in June following mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar, establishing a framework for negotiations between the adversaries, and Wang hosted Araghchi in Beijing in May for preliminary discussions. Wang told Araghchi that the continued prolongation of the US-Iran conflict "is not in the common interest of the parties concerned and the international community," adding: "China encourages Iran and the United States to stay rational and exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at an early date, rebuild the negotiation mechanism on the basis of the consensus reached so far, and conduct substantive consultations on issues of respective concern."

Strategic Stakes

Beijing maintains a comprehensive strategic partnership with Tehran driven largely by energy cooperation, with China ranking among the largest importers of Iranian crude and bilateral trade volume exceeding $41 billion last year according to official statistics. Washington and its allies have targeted Iranian government buildings, military sites, missile infrastructure and air defenses since late February, while Tehran has responded with missile and drone attacks against Israeli territory and US military installations as diplomatic efforts continue to end the hostilities that have expanded across the Middle East.