China to send special envoy to Middle East to push de-escalation amid widening conflict

China on Thursday said it will dispatch its Special Envoy on the Middle East Issue to the region in an effort to help ease tensions as fighting continues to intensify across West Asia.

Speaking during a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed that Beijing plans to send Zhai Jun to engage with regional stakeholders and encourage steps towards de-escalation. The move comes as the conflict in the region enters its sixth day and fears grow of a wider regional confrontation.

“China will send Zhai Jun, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue, to the Middle East soon to work actively for the de-escalation of the tensions,” she said.

China urges dialogue and diplomacy

Mao said Beijing believes diplomatic engagement and negotiations remain the only effective means of resolving disputes, warning that continued escalation benefits no party involved.

“The protraction and escalation of the conflict serves no one's interest. China believes that war and force cannot solve issues once and for all, dialogue and negotiation are the right solutions, and political and diplomatic settlement of disputes and differences should be upheld. China will continue to work with all parties, including parties to the conflict, to maintain communication, further engage with other parties, and build consensus,” Mao Ning said.

She added that China is deeply worried about the deteriorating security environment in the region and has been actively communicating with multiple countries.

“China is gravely concerned over the tense situation in the Middle East. Over the past few days, China has intensively reached out to various parties,” she added.

Conflict intensifies across the region

The diplomatic push comes as tensions across West Asia have surged following a joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iranian territory last Saturday. The attack reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several senior Iranian officials.

In response, Tehran launched a series of drone and missile attacks across several Arab countries, with the conflict now entering its sixth day. Iranian retaliatory strikes have also targeted American military bases and Israeli-linked assets across the region.

Israel has continued its air campaign against targets in Iran and has also expanded operations into Lebanon, striking positions linked to the militant group Hezbollah.

Diplomatic outreach by Beijing

Mao said China has stepped up diplomatic engagement as part of its efforts to calm the situation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held a series of phone calls with his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the rapidly evolving situation.

During those conversations, Wang emphasised the importance of upholding the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and warned against the arbitrary use of force in international relations.

He also called for an immediate halt to military operations and urged all parties to return to negotiations as soon as possible to prevent the crisis from widening further.

According to Mao, the Chinese foreign minister stressed that all sides must fulfil their international obligations, protect civilians and refrain from targeting civilian infrastructure as tensions continue to rise across the region.

(ANI)