Chinese premier vows increased role in Gulf peace efforts

• 'Blockade of Strait of Hormuz does not serve international community,' Chinese foreign minister tells UAE envoy

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday vowed to increase Beijing’s role in promoting peace and stability in the Gulf region.

China is ready to play a more constructive role, he said during a meeting in Beijing with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

Al Nahyan is visiting Beijing at Qiang’s invitation amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Li said that since the conflict began, China has been in close communication with relevant parties and “actively committed to promoting peace and ending the war.”

He also expressed hope that the UAE “will continue to take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in the country.”

Li also expressed China's readiness to cooperate with the UAE and to "continue to move forward together as partners on the path of common development, scale new heights in bilateral relations and cooperation, deliver more tangible outcomes, and further promote mutual benefit and win-win results," according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Separately, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, UAE’s president’s special envoy to China, in Beijing.

Wang stressed Beijing’s support to the UAE in "safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights and interests," according to ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

"A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz does not serve the common interests of the international community," he said, emphasizing "a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire" through political and diplomatic means as "the fundamental way forward."

At least 13 people have been killed and 224 injured amid Iranian attacks on the UAE since the war began on Feb. 28, according to the UAE Defense Ministry.

The US and Iran agreed last week to a two-week ceasefire, though rare direct talks between the two sides in Islamabad on Saturday ended without agreement.