China, Pakistan propose 5-point initiative to resolve Gulf, Middle East tensions

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, met in Beijing on March 31, 2026, to review the situation in the Gulf and Middle East Region.

This meeting took place against the backdrop of Pakistan positioning itself in recent weeks as a mediator in the Iran conflict.  A few days earlier, talks involving Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were held in Islamabad, and, according to some reports, Pakistan facilitated indirect exchanges of information between Iran and the United States.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the two sides put forward the following 5-point initiative:

I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.

II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. 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.

III. 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 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.

IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. 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.

V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the U.N., 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 U.N. Charter and international law.

By Aghakazim Guliyev