China’s Wang Yi presses for Middle East dialogue in Beijing talks with Iranian and Saudi security officials

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings in Beijing on Monday with Iranian and Saudi national security officials¹. He said all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions^9,10.

Wang met Ali Bagheri Kani, a senior Iranian security official^3,5. He told Bagheri Kani that Beijing supports Tehran in “safeguarding its own sovereignty and security”^2,4. The meeting took place as tensions intensified over the possibility of renewed US action against Iran⁸, and Beijing’s message was that talks are the only way out⁵.

Saudi national security adviser Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban also met Wang in Beijing on Monday⁶. He delivered a message from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to President Xi Jinping^6,11, and Wang received the Saudi envoy at the foreign ministry¹². Wang used the meeting to call for security in the Strait of Hormuz⁶. On the same day, Xi hosted Oman’s Sultan Haitham in Beijing³.

Why it matters to investors

The meetings put Beijing in direct contact with Iran and Saudi Arabia on a single day¹, with Oman’s ruler in the capital at the same time³. Together they mark a step up in China’s Middle East diplomacy³.

Wang stressed that “dialogue and negotiation remain the only viable path forward”⁷. China will also send special envoys to tour the Middle East in a bid to ease tensions⁷.

The call for security in the Strait of Hormuz⁶ ties China’s stated position to the shipping lane at the centre of the talks over ending the war¹⁰. China’s support for Iran’s “sovereignty and security”² sits alongside its outreach to Riyadh⁶, a balance that Beijing presents as a push for a political settlement⁹.

These are the Chinese government’s own descriptions of its aims, as conveyed in its statements on the meetings^1,2. Iran, for its part, said contacts over ending the war continue, even as talks ended with no breakthrough¹⁰.

What to watch

The first marker is the special envoys’ tour of the region and which capitals it covers⁷. A second is how Xi responds to the message from the Saudi crown prince^11,12.

A third is whether Beijing’s emphasis on political solutions⁹ finds any traction while the threat of US action hangs over the region^5,8. Iran has said its contacts on ending the war are continuing¹⁰, and China has now positioned itself as a party urging those contacts on¹.