BEIJING (Reuters): China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again, in a meeting with an Iranian national security official in Beijing.
Dialogue and negotiation are the way to resolve Middle East conflicts, Wang told Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of the Iran Supreme National Security Council, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Wang also said China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Omani leader Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said that the Middle East and Gulf region should not become a battleground for great-power rivalry.
In a China-Oman joint statement that followed, Muscat said it supports the Chinese peace proposals for the Middle East, and looks forward to a "greater role" by Beijing in achieving lasting stability in the region.
China, which is pressing for a bigger diplomatic role in the Middle East, also announced that its special envoy to the Middle East, would visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson) -- Reuters
