A Hong Kong newspaper reported that Beijing was seeking to expand its alliance with Iran against Western sanctions, citing the start of the Chinese foreign minister’s tour of West Asia.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicked off a week-long tour of the West Asian region on Wednesday (Wednesday) as he plans to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and seek to expand alliances and coalitions in the face of Western sanctions.
According to the Chinese newspaper South Morning China, Wang’s first stop will be Saudi Arabia, which will then travel to Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, and return to Beijing on March 30.
Former Chinese ambassador to Iran Hua Liming explained the purpose of the Chinese foreign minister’s visit to the West Asian region, saying that Wang intends to “expand China’s circle of friends and improve relations with those countries.”
According to the Chinese diplomat, the Chinese Foreign Minister intends to send an important message to the United States by traveling to the West Asian region.
He said in this regard: “China wants to send a clear message to the United States that it remains a key player in the Iranian nuclear issue and … it is impossible to find a solution (to issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program) without China’s participation.”
According to the report, the Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to West Asia came shortly after a tense exchange of views between Wang and senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during talks between the two countries.
After Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2016 visit to Iran, Wang is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Iran, according to the report, as efforts to revive the UN Security Council have stalled.
Hua explains about the visit of this senior Chinese diplomat to Iran: “China has played a key role in the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has worked relatively closely with the United States on Iran.”
Ma Zhejiang, China’s deputy foreign minister has twice held talks with US Special Envoy to Iran Robert Mali on the Iranian nuclear issue this year.
Hua clarified: “The issue of Iran, along with the issue of climate change, is still the most likely areas on which China and the United States are seeking cooperation.”
According to the report, the Chinese diplomat’s visit to the West Asian region comes amid escalating tensions between the West and Beijing following the imposition of US, EU, Canadian and British sanctions against China on the pretext of human rights violations.
“Einhong, an international relations expert at Beijing’s Renmin University, says: “China is likely to seek a united front against Western sanctions with countries that are equally dissatisfied with such measures.”
On Tuesday, Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on joint cooperation against Western sanctions.