China urges restraint at UN as US-Iran attacks spill into Bahrain and Kuwait, backs talks on Strait security

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Xinhua and Bloomberg, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East that all parties should remain calm and avoid further escalation in the Persian Gulf. Fu said a new round of reciprocal attacks between the United States and Iran had recently occurred, with targets in Bahrain and Kuwait affected, and reiterated China’s opposition to the use or threat of force in international relations. Xinhua quoted Fu as saying China welcomed follow-up consultations on a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, launched with assistance from Pakistan and Qatar, and that the parties had reached consensus on a mechanism for the next stage of talks. Separately, Bloomberg cited Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun as saying that restoring security and freedom of navigation in the strait as soon as possible is in all parties’ interests, and that the issue should be handled properly to address broad international concerns. The report noted China is the world’s largest oil and gas importer and is highly exposed to Middle East tensions because shipments from the wider Persian Gulf region must pass through the Strait of Hormuz.