China Proposes Beijing Summit for Persian Gulf States: Reports
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a summit in Beijing this year for the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Iran, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Xi made the proposal at a regional summit in Riyadh last December and suggested a summit between Iran and the six-nation (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council should take place in 2023.
On Friday, China helped broker a landmark agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic relations after over seven years without ties.
The talks and the agreement between the two traditional rivals were conducted in Arabic, Farsi, or Mandarin without the use of English.
Iran and Saudi Arabia now have two months to agree on the details before reopening embassies, and Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers are expected to meet soon to seal the deal. The (P)GCC summit with China will come "sometime after that," according to the WSJ.
China’s Foreign Ministry praised the deal, casting shade on Washington in a statement that said the deal would reduce the “interference” of outside powers in the region's affairs.
Beijing applauded the two countries’ commitment to adhering to the United Nations Charter and avoid meddling in one another’s affairs, indicating that such a commitment was “in line with the trend of the times.”
China’s emphasis on regional countries taking “the future into their own hands” echoes the policy pursued by Iran over the years, with Tehran touting a series of mechanisms for reconstructing the region’s security architecture, including through the ‘Hormuz Peace Initiative,’ which proposes establishing joint security in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman by regional countries, without the involvement of any “foreign forces,” including the United States or its allies.
