China, UK have responsibility to maintain peace: Beijing’s FM

BEIJING: China’s foreign minister told his British counterpart on Thursday (Mar 19) that the two countries had a responsibility to maintain international peace and security, and renewed calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

Beijing is a partner of Iran, which has been targeted by US-Israeli attacks since last month, but has also criticised Tehran’s strikes against Gulf states housing US military bases.

In a phone call, China’s Wang Yi told British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that their countries should “consistently take actions conducive to peace”, according to a readout from Beijing’s foreign ministry.

They should work together to “prevent further damage to the international order and the erosion of the foundations of global peace”, Wang told Cooper.

A “prolonged conflict yields no winners”, Wang said.

Cooper visited Saudi Arabia last week on the UK’s first ministerial visit to the region since the start of the war.