China and Pakistan have jointly launched a five-point peace initiative aimed at ending the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.
The move came as the centrepiece of a March 31 visit to Beijing by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
At their meeting, Wang said that the mediation efforts of the Pakistani side regarding the conflict are in the common interests of all parties. China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in easing the situation and resuming peace talks. China is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to end the hostilities as soon as possible, create opportunities for peace and open the window for peace talks.
On bilateral ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, calling on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and constantly advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
For his part, Dar said the Pakistan-China friendship is precious and deeply rooted in people’s hearts, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. He thanked China for supporting Pakistan’s mediation of the situation in Iran, adding that the current conflict has disrupted international energy supplies and caused heavy damage to developing countries.
Dar had earlier visited China, January 3-5. The two foreign ministers also held phone conversations on March 10 and March 27.
The five-point initiative calls for:
- Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.
- Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
- Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets and to fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
- Security of shipping lanes. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
- Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the UN, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realising lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.
At a Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference on April 1, spokesperson Mao Ning said that the initiative is open and all countries and international organisations are welcome to respond to and participate in it.
Continue reading China and Pakistan work jointly for peace