BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, as a string of leaders of countries impacted by the Middle East war flock to Beijing.
Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnamese leader To Lam in meeting with Xi this week.
The Russian diplomat told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war.
Xi, meanwhile, has sought to position China as a mediator and stable partner in the face of the US and Israeli-led conflict.
Xi told Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on Tuesday that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace talks in the Middle East.
In talks with Spain’s Sanchez, Xi warned that the world was facing “chaos and turmoil” and “a contest between justice and force”, urging closer cooperation.
The Spanish prime minister, meanwhile, welcomed China’s role in seeking to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
Though the level of diplomatic activity is normal for Beijing, the Middle East war and particularly the issue of energy security have taken on new urgency in diplomatic discussions, according to Dylan Loh, associate professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
“China has got leverage and influence over Iran, and there are some hopes and expectations that China can use this influence in a more direct way,” Loh said.
Countries, particularly in the Gulf, could be hoping China can pressure Iran to stop its attacks on Gulf countries and to persist with diplomatic negotiations, he said.
Shortfall
The string of visitors “demonstrates that various actors are adjusting to the realities of an uncertain world. Engaging with the PRC, including over areas of difference, is part of this adjustment”, according to Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.
While many visits were likely planned before the Middle East crisis, those from Gulf countries’ representatives and Lavrov “seem more of a direct result of the conflict and the desire to de-escalate”, Chong said.
Lavrov, who is on a two-day visit to China to boost bilateral ties, said Russia could help China with energy resources following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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