China and Pakistan on Tuesday announced a five-point initiative, including ensuring early passage through the Strait of Hormuz, to restore "peace and stability" in the Middle East as the regional conflict intensifies, Anadolu Ajansı reports.
It comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to review the situation in the Gulf and Middle East, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The five-point initiative calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the start of peace talks as soon as possible, protection of nonmilitary targets, security of shipping lanes, and respect for the UN Charter.
The initiative comes as Pakistan facilitates indirect talks between the US and Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East.
Calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and maximum efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading, the two sides urged that humanitarian assistance be allowed to all war-affected areas.
"Dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable option to resolve conflicts," the statement said, adding that China and Pakistan support relevant parties in initiating talks, with all sides committing to peaceful resolution of disputes and refraining from the use or threat of force during negotiations.
They said the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence, and security of Iran and Gulf states should be safeguarded.
China and Pakistan called on parties to the conflict to "immediately" stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, fully adhere to international humanitarian law, and stop attacking critical infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, as well as peaceful nuclear infrastructure such as nuclear power plants.
The two sides urged parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial vessels, and restore normal transit through the strait as soon as possible.
The two foreign ministers also called for efforts to practice multilateralism, strengthen the role of the UN, and support an agreement to establish a comprehensive peace framework based on the UN Charter and international law.
Over the weekend, Pakistan hosted foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for a quadrilateral meeting as part of its ongoing efforts to push the US and Iran toward negotiations.
China has already announced its support for Islamabad’s initiative.
