China denies hidden motives after brokering talks between Saudi Arabia, Iran

China is claiming it had no ulterior motives in brokering Friday’s peace talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia that noticed the 2 Middle Eastern nations reestablish diplomatic ties after years of hostility. 

A spokesperson from the nation’s Foreign Ministry mentioned Saturday that China “pursues no egocentric curiosity by any means within the Middle East.”

In this picture launched by Xinhua News Agency, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, at proper, shakes fingers with Saudi nationwide safety adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, at left, as Wang Yi, China’s most senior diplomat, seems on, at middle, for a photograph throughout a closed assembly held in Beijing, Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua through AP)

“We respect the stature of Middle East nations because the masters of the area and oppose geopolitical competitors within the Middle East,” the assertion learn. “China has no intention to and won’t search to fill [a] so-called vacuum or put up unique blocks.” 

Friday’s settlement to reestablish Iran-Saudi ties and reopen embassies after seven years was seen as a significant diplomatic victory for China, as Gulf Arab states understand the United States as lowering its presence within the Middle East.

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China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi mentioned the settlement confirmed China was a “dependable mediator” that had “faithfully fulfilled its duties because the host.”

China is considered as a impartial occasion, with robust ties to each Iran and Saudi Arabia, in addition to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Saturday’s feedback got here after China hosted Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi final month to consolidate ties between the 2 nations. 

China can also be a high purchaser of Saudi oil. Chinese chief Xi Jinping visited Riyadh in December for conferences with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations essential to China’s vitality provides.

In this picture launched by the official web site of the workplace of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes fingers together with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (Iranian Presidency Office through AP)

Xi, whose administration in current days has warned of “battle and confrontation” with the U.S., was credited in a trilateral assertion with facilitating the Iran-Saudi talks by way of a “noble initiative” and having personally agreed to sponsor the negotiations that lasted from Monday by way of Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.