China urges Iran and Saudi Arabia to work together to ‘avoid miscalculation’ as diplomats meet on restoration of ties

Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks with senior Saudi and Iranian officials in first meeting of committee to support normalisation of relations
In pointed reference to US – Riyadh’s ally and Tehran’s rival – Wang calls on the Middle Eastern countries to ‘eliminate external interference’

China-Middle East relations

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 4:00pm, 17 Dec 2023

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for deeper cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran to “avoid miscalculation” as diplomats from the Middle Eastern states met in the Chinese capital for the first time since a Beijing-brokered deal to normalise relations between the two.

During the talks with Saudi deputy foreign minister Waleed Elkhereiji and his Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani on Friday, Wang also renewed Beijing’s call for “an immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza war.

“China has always stood by Arab and Muslim countries and supported the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The most urgent task is to promote a ceasefire in Gaza, to stop the war, to promote humanitarian assistance, and to resume the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

The meeting was the first of the China-Saudi Arabia-Iran joint committee, a dialogue mechanism to support Riyadh and Tehran’s normalisation process.

“It is hoped that the two sides will continue to enhance mutual trust through dialogue and consultation, and achieve a lasting and comprehensive good-neighbourly friendship,” Wang said.

Under former foreign minister Qin Gang’s watch in April, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the normalisation of diplomatic relations seven years after they were severed. The agreement was brokered by China and was widely seen as a sign of Beijing’s ambition to influence the region beyond economics.

Riyadh-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said China expressed its readiness to continue playing a constructive role and its support for the Saudi and Iranian sides to strengthen ties.

SPA also reported that the talks covered the reopening of the two countries’ embassies and mutual visits by their foreign ministers.

The two countries exchanged ambassadors in September. Riyadh and Tehran have officially invited each other’s leaders to visit, with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi having accepted an invitation from Saudi Arabia.

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According to Xinhua, Wang said Saudi Arabia and Iran should strengthen trade, security, personal exchanges and negotiations to avoid “miscalculation”.

The two countries should also “eliminate external interference” from their relationship, he said in a pointed reference to the United States, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia but Iran’s rival.

“The Middle East can no longer become a geopolitical arena for the global powers, and the fate of the Middle East should be in the hands of the peoples of the countries of the region,” Wang was quoted as saying.

“I believe that Saudi Arabia and Iran are fully capable of removing external interference promptly and pushing the reconciliation process forward to maintain long-term peace and stability in the region.”

Riyadh and Washington have reportedly reached the last mile of a normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia in exchange for a defence treaty, but the agreement has been on hold since the Gaza war erupted.

Iran is believed to be a key military and financial backer of Hamas, but it has denied any involvement in the group’s sudden assault on Israel on October 7.

On Monday, Iran’s state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Wang that the Gaza conflict had “already expanded” in the region.