China’s foreign minister on Wednesday called for a complete ceasefire in the Iran war, in words that could inject new energy into stalled efforts to end the two-month conflict between the United States and Iran.
Wang Yi said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict. He spoke after meeting Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing for the first time since the war with the US and Israel began on February 28.
China’s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence. The Trump administration is pressuring China to use that relationship to encourage the Islamic Republic to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The Chinese minister’s comments follow US President Donald Trump’s earlier statement that he was suspending his temporary US effort to steer commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz in the hope that a deal could be concluded. There was an acrimonious decision to cease fire, despite flare-ups as the US pushed to reopen the flow on Monday.
Iran’s successful closure of the strait, a vital waterway through which large amounts of oil and gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products passed before the war, sent fuel prices soaring, rocked the global economy and put enormous economic pressure on countries, including superpowers like China.
The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell to $100 a barrel on Wednesday, a sharp decline from earlier in the week’s decline. The prices are still more than US$70 a barrel which was sold for crude oil before the war started.
Araghchi’s visit to China comes ahead of Trump’s planned visit to Beijing for a high-level summit on May 14-15 with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This trip will be Trump’s first to China in his second term and the first by a US president since Trump visited in 2017.
“We believe that a complete ceasefire is urgently needed, that restarting the war is unacceptable, and it is very important that you remain committed to dialogue and negotiation,” Wang said, according to a video of the meeting.
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China’s foreign minister said the conflict “has lasted for more than two months. It has not only caused great losses to the people of Iran, but also greatly affected regional and global peace. China is deeply distressed by this.”
In a televised interview with Iran’s state media from Beijing, Araghchi said his visit included talks on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program and the sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Iran reached “international heights” after the war, proving its capabilities and strength, Araghchi said.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, expressed his hope that Beijing will repeat the demand for Iran to allow it to participate in this river, which it will deny that it has great power as Trump wants to significantly postpone Tehran’s nuclear program.
“I hope the Chinese tell him what they need to be told,” Rubio said while speaking at the White House on Tuesday. “And what you do in this mess causes you to be alienated from the whole world. You are a bad person in this.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing has made it clear that the relevant parties must act “wisely” and resolve the conflict through dialogue to restore peace. He added that China has been actively promoting peace talks and will continue to do so.
In a statement published on the ministry’s website about Wang and Araghchi’s meeting, the Foreign Ministry said China appreciates Iran’s pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons while affirming its “legitimate right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
Trump halts Hormuz effort
Hundreds of merchant ships are still stranded in the Persian Gulf. The US said it opened a safe shipping lane on Monday and sank six small Iranian boats that have been threatening commercial vessels in the crisis. Only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the US patrolled route.
But Trump announced he was suspending the effort, called Project Freedom, to see if a deal could be reached with Tehran to end the war.
In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, Trump said the move was based on “the request of Pakistan and other countries, the significant military success we have had during the campaign against Iran, and, in addition, the fact that significant progress has been made toward a Comprehensive and Final Agreement with Iran’s representatives.”
Pakistan has been negotiating between the US and Iran, and has been holding peace talks between the two sides.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for what he described as a timely announcement of a temporary moratorium in an effort to steer the ships out of the crisis.
In a post written on X, Sharif said Trump’s response to requests from Pakistan and other countries, especially Saudi Arabia, will help promote regional peace, stability and reconciliation.
“Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting all efforts promoting self-restraint and resolving conflicts through dialogue and negotiation,” Sharif said. “We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that ensures long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press
