BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, calling for normal shipping lanes to be maintained through the Strait of Hormuz as Beijing steps up efforts to help end Iran’s war.
China is concerned about renewed instability around the strategic waterway as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire faces fresh pressure after the United States seized an Iranian cargo ship and Tehran said it would not join new peace talks for the time being.
China is the main buyer of Iranian crude oil. Iran has largely closed the strait to all but its own ships since the United States and Israel launched war in February, while Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian ships since last week.
The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi as saying that China advocates an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and insists on resolving the Middle East conflict through political and diplomatic channels.
“The Strait of Hormuz should remain open to normal traffic because this is in the common interest of regional countries and the international community,” he told Saudi leaders.
Concerns have grown over the sustainability of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran after the United States seized an Iranian vessel. Trump has praised Beijing for helping Iran participate in previous negotiations with the United States in Pakistan.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed concern over the “forceful interception” of Iranian ships by the United States, while urging all parties involved to abide by the ceasefire agreement.
Xi Jinping held a phone call with the Saudi crown prince after meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in Beijing last week to urge compliance with international law.
Xi Jinping also expressed to the Saudi Crown Prince that China supports Middle East countries to “take their future and destiny into their own hands and promote long-term regional stability and peace.”
(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Toby Chopra, Peter Graff)