Beijing: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit China on Wednesday, September 16, for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, days after their interactions on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
A brief announcement by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, September 15, said Araghchi will hold talks with Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China.
This will be Araghchi’s fifth visit to China since 2024, reflecting the close ties between Tehran and Beijing.
His visit comes close to his well-publicised interactions with Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi held from Sept 12-13.
Araghchi accompanied Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to the summit.
His visit to Beijing comes in the midst of an escalation of hostilities in West Asia following the military advances made by Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah. The Iran-aligned Yemeni political and armed movement has stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia and taken control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
The Iran-US war has already restricted the movement of ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a widespread energy crisis.
On the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China is deeply concerned about the casualties of innocent civilians and the damage to energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure caused by recent escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea.
Increasing turmoil in the region serves no one’s interest. The sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, and the only viable way forward is to resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, he said.
China calls on the relevant parties to exercise restraint, ease tensions through communication and dialogue and work toward de-escalation as soon as possible, he said.
