Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his meeting with Abbas Arakçi in Beijing, called on Iran and the US to act “rationally and with restraint,” return to the Islamabad Agreement and begin substantive consultations. He called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened swiftly for energy transportation and supply chains, and for tensions not to spread to Yemen and the Red Sea. He argued that the parties should re-establish the negotiation mechanism on the basis of existing agreements and strengthen the regional security architecture. He said China was ready to contribute to peace, justice and stability, and that its Iran policy was consistent. The meeting took place ahead of Şi Cinping and Donald Trump’s expected meeting in Washington next week. Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that the leaders would discuss Iran and China’s financial ties with Tehran. China is a major buyer of Iranian oil.
Why it matters
China’s initiative shows that Beijing, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has a direct stake in regional tensions not only diplomatically but also in terms of energy supplies and trade flows. Addressing the Strait of Hormuz, Yemen and the Red Sea within the same framework highlights concerns that the spread of tensions could affect both energy transportation and broader supply chains. The emphasis on the Islamabad Agreement and existing agreements indicates that the aim is to restore a disrupted negotiation channel rather than launch a new process. While this contact ahead of the meeting between Şi Cinping and Donald Trump shows that the Iran issue will be addressed on the China-US agenda alongside financial ties with Tehran, it remains unclear whether the parties will return to the consultation mechanism.
Background
The US is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: over the past 90 days, we have published 26 news reports mentioning this name; the latest was dated September 15, 2026.