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China is stepping up its diplomacy on\u00a0the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
It is China\u2019s latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, though it may prove to be more rhetorical than substantive, with the U.S. appearing uninterested in Beijing\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region,\u201d said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. \u201cIt is an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, described China\u2019s diplomacy as \u201cperformative\u201d and compared the five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which was \u201cfilled with platitudes but never acted on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIts narrative is that while Washington is reckless, aggressive and heedless of the cost to others, China is a principled and responsible champion of peace,\u201d said Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. \u201cWhat we are seeing from China is messaging, not mediation.\u201d<\/p>\n
China has been working \u201ctirelessly for peace\u201d since the outbreak of the war, said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.<\/p>\n
How the US views China\u2019s diplomacy<\/p>\n
The Trump administration appears to have little enthusiasm for the prospect of China\u2019s mediation, according to U.S. officials.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has soured on third-party mediation efforts, and it has little interest in boosting China\u2019s international stature or giving it an opening to claim success in the Middle East, said three U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss potential diplomatic options.<\/p>\n
One of the officials described the administration\u2019s position on the Chinese-Pakistani effort as \u201cagnostic,\u201d neither endorsement nor rejection, but all three stressed that could change if President Donald Trump weighs in before his\u00a0planned summit\u00a0with Chinese President Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n
For Beijing, there could be an incentive to see the war subside before Trump travels to China in mid-May. Citing demands of the war, Trump postponed the trip initially set for the end of March.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no guarantee that Trump may not delay the trip to China again if the war rages on,\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n
The war saw a\u00a0major escalation Friday\u00a0when Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, a first since the war began five weeks ago. Trump told NBC News that it would not impact negotiations with Iran, just days after declaring in a\u00a0national address\u00a0that the U.S. has \u201cbeaten and completely decimated Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beijing is calculating the pain from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
For now, China is more insulated from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz than other countries after diversifying its energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
China relies on Iran for only about 13% of its oil imports, and Beijing is working with Tehran to allow the passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the critical waterway, where Iran\u2019s stranglehold has sent energy prices soaring. China also maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve.<\/p>\n
While China has positioned itself to cushion short-term shocks, analysts say Beijing is worried about a protracted war and has an interest in trying to bring it to an end.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn escalation of the conflict will start to harm Chinese interests,\u201d Russel said. \u201cBecause China\u2019s growth model is so export-heavy, prolonged energy shocks and shipping disruption will mean costlier inputs and weaker global demand that damage its vulnerable economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides not wanting to see a long war, China \u201cwelcomes the opportunity to suggest that it is helping mitigate a crisis of America\u2019s making, especially as the Trump administration\u2019s lack of a considered strategy for containing the fallout becomes more apparent,\u201d said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.<\/p>\n
China has undertaken a flurry of diplomacy<\/p>\n
After the war began, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He told Iran that China cherished its friendship, urged Israel to cease military actions and expressed that China would be willing to play a role in seeking peace.<\/p>\n
This past week, Wang hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to hash out their five-point proposal, calling for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the strait.<\/p>\n
He has held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers, and a special envoy has visited several countries in the region, aiming to promote peace and deescalate tensions, Liu said.<\/p>\n
Wang sought support for China\u2019s plan from the European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, telling her it represented \u201cbroad, international consensus,\u201d the Chinese foreign ministry said. Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting the fighting was the most urgent matter.<\/p>\n
Wang also spoke this week with Bahrain\u2019s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain why China opposed Bahrain\u2019s U.N. proposal to allow military force to open the Strait of Hormuz. Wang said actions by the U.N. Security Council should help ease tensions \u201crather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
China and Russia argued that the U.S. or other countries could exploit a U.N.-backed mechanism to escalate the deadly war, according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic conversations.<\/p>\n
Both countries appear to have less immediate need to see the strait fully open. While China has been able to pay to get some of its ships through, Russia is benefiting from the high price of oil, its main export.<\/p>\n
Hoping to avoid a veto, Bahrain\u00a0significantly watered down\u00a0its proposal to authorize defensive \u2014 but not offensive \u2014 action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. A vote was pushed back until next week.<\/p>\n
To solve the problem of the strait, China says a ceasefire is needed. But its plan with Pakistan has been met with mostly silence from the U.S.<\/p>\n
One of the U.S. officials said the plan is difficult to assess because it is less of a roadmap to peace than a vague appeal for respect for international law and the importance of diplomacy and the U.N.\u2019s role.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Amiri reported from the United Nations.<\/p>\n
#China #steps #world #leadership #role #Iran #war #crisis #America #disinterest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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