China steps up Middle East diplomacy with Iran and Oman meetings

Beijing urges dialogue on US-Iran war, sends envoy to Gulf as Xi hosts first Omani head of state visit since 1978.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-11-02 16:03查看原文 ↗

Beijing urges dialogue on US-Iran war, sends envoy to Gulf as Xi hosts first Omani head of state visit since 1978.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq shake hands following a signing ceremony during the sultan's state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China [Tingshu Wang/Pool via Reuters]

China is stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, including over the United States-Iran war, following a lapse in activity.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met a senior Iranian security official in Beijing, while President Xi Jinping hosted Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for a landmark state visit.

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Wang told Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that dialogue and negotiation remained “the only viable path forward” as conflicts in the region “drag on and risk further spillover”.

He also reaffirmed China’s support for Iran’s sovereignty and security. Beijing has consistently blamed the US and Israel for starting the conflict.

“China is very close to Tehran; it is the biggest trading partner of Iran, the biggest customer of Iranian crude,” said Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing.

However, Beijing’s diplomacy efforts have recently been stalled, she noted.

“It’s been a few weeks or even months [in which] China really hasn’t done much diplomatically towards … ending the war,” Yu said.

The meetings on Monday appear to illustrate that China is growing impatient with the lack of progress.

“I think China is very frustrated, and it wants to be seen to enter [the process],” Yu said.

Reflecting the step up in activity, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday that Zhai Jun, Beijing’s special envoy on the Middle East, will visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month.

Meanwhile, Xi received Sultan Haitham, the first Omani head of state to visit China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1978.

The Chinese president said the Middle East and Gulf “should not become an arena for great-power rivalry and geopolitical conflict”.

Sitting across from Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, Oman is a key player in navigation on the strategic waterway, through which one-fifth of global energy exports traversed before the US-Iran war restricted traffic.

China is one of the world’s largest energy importers. Xi described bilateral ties with Oman as being at a “new historical starting point”.

During the visit, China and Oman signed 14 cooperation documents, covering areas including artificial intelligence, green energy and supply chains, along with a currency swap agreement.

In a joint statement, they called for safe navigation to resume through Hormuz and urged the US and Iran to restart dialogue.

Yu said the conflict had made the relationship “more of a priority for both sides”, particularly given the disruption to China’s energy imports.

“Oman is particularly important because many of its ports are outside the strait,” she said.

北京敦促就美伊战争展开对话，并向海湾地区派遣特使；与此同时，习近平接待了自1978年以来首次访问阿曼的国家元首。

中国国家主席习近平与阿曼苏丹海赛姆·本·塔里克在北京人民大会堂签署协议后握手，当时苏丹正在对中国进行国事访问。[王婷舒/路透社]

在经历了一段时间的沉寂之后，中国正在加大在中东的外交努力，包括在美伊战争问题上的外交努力。

周一，外交部长王毅在北京会见了一名伊朗高级安全官员，与此同时，国家主席习近平接待了阿曼苏丹海赛姆·本·塔里克进行具有里程碑意义的国事访问。

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王毅告诉伊朗最高国家安全委员会副秘书长阿里·巴盖里·卡尼，由于该地区的冲突“持续不断，并有进一步蔓延的风险”，对话和谈判仍然是“唯一可行的前进道路”。

他还重申了中国对伊朗主权和安全的支持。北京方面一直指责美国和以色列挑起冲突。