Wang’s comments came shortly after the strikes launched by the US and its allies, including Britain, against the Houthis. The Iran-backed group has warned it will retaliate.

Wang said the US-led naval coalition helping to safeguard commercial traffic “should avoid adding fuel to the fire of tensions in the Red Sea and raising overall regional security risks”.

Houthis fire missile at US warship in first attack after Yemen strikes

“It must be emphasised that the tense situation in the Red Sea is a prominent manifestation of the spillover of the Gaza conflict,” he said, adding that the situation in the Palestinian territory remained “very serious and critical”.

Wang said the top priority was to quell the war in Gaza – which has led to the killing of more than 20,000 people – as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from further expanding or even getting out of control.

“It is necessary for all parties to jointly safeguard the … waterways in the Red Sea … in accordance with the law, and at the same time effectively respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries along the Red Sea, including Yemen.”

Wang also pointed out that a resolution to the Palestinian issue had been postponed for 76 years, adding that the “historical injustice cannot continue”.

“The international community must act urgently and focus all efforts on promoting a ceasefire … protecting the safety of civilians,” he said, repeating China’s long-standing support for a “two-state solution”.

“Justice must be returned to the Palestinian people at an early date,” Wang said, describing the “two-state solution” – based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital – as the only way to achieve a just solution to the Palestinian issue.

03:02

Xi Jinping calls for Gaza ceasefire, says two-state solution only option for lasting regional peace

Xi Jinping calls for Gaza ceasefire, says two-state solution only option for lasting regional peace

“Full sovereignty must be upheld,” he added, and called for a larger and more authoritative international peace conference to be convened to discuss the Israel-Gaza war.

While in Cairo, Wang held talks with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, where they “agreed on the necessity to address the root causes of the crisis through a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”

Wang also announced China’s third batch of humanitarian emergency aid to the people of Gaza during his visit. As a member of the Arab League, China believes that Egypt stands at an advantage to spearhead efforts to meditate on the crisis in Gaza.

In a separate meeting, Wang and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the league’s secretary general, urged the UN Security Council to take its responsibilities seriously and come up with binding measures towards maintaining international peace and security.

China’s Wang Yi urges coordination with Iran in call to discuss Israel-Gaza war

“The UN Security Council must listen to the calls of the Arab and Islamic countries and other countries that have expressed their rejection of the ongoing Israeli war against the civilian population in Gaza,” they said, in a joint statement issued after the meeting.

The statement also outlined the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, based on the establishment of a fully independent, sovereign state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Wang’s visit to Egypt was part of an African tour, in keeping with a tradition spanning more than 30 years in which Chinese foreign ministers make Africa their first overseas destination. He is also visiting Tunisia, Togo and Ivory Coast.

John Calabrese, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that after showing some initial signs that it might want to play a proactive role in mediating an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Beijing’s diplomacy had refocused on the UN Security Council.

Has China ‘clearly estranged Israel’ with its stance on the war in Gaza?

According to Calabrese, China backed off from a mediatory role in favour of the international forum, where its “positions and posturings” can be used to differentiate itself from the US and its Western partners.

By discrediting Washington and its allies, Beijing can also “earn favour with Arab and Muslim states, as well as others across the Global South where the tragedy of the Palestinians resonates”, he said.

Calabrese said Egypt and Qatar were “critical players” in the diplomatic effort to broker exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoner releases, as well as in the push to establish and expand humanitarian access in Gaza.

However, in terms of the war’s expansion, Calabrese said it was difficult to see what role Egypt or China might elect to play.

“To be sure, both countries’ interests stand to be imperilled by the escalation of the conflict and the damage it could inflict on maritime commerce,” but it had fallen to the US to take the lead in trying to “restore deterrence”, he said.

“China can play it both ways: rely on the US to take the risks and bear the costs, while criticising and seeking to exploit whatever mishaps occur as a direct or indirect result of American-led military operations.”

Israel-Gaza war: China’s peacemaker role is tested in US-dominated Mideast

According to Calabrese, China’s shift away from seeking an active mediatory role seemed “as much a matter of circumstance as it is a choice”.

“After all, the US is ‘orchestrating’ the diplomacy, with Qatar and Egypt playing critical roles, and Saudi Arabia factored into the equation in terms of possible post-conflict scenarios,” he said.

David Shinn, a professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, said preserving freedom of navigation through the Red Sea – the aim of the international naval task force – was also a benefit to China.

Shinn, who is a former US ambassador to Addis Ababa, said China has a major interest in keeping open the Suez Canal and Red Sea for its exports and imports to and from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

“As a result, China’s position on stopping the Houthi attacks is strange at best and hypocritical at worst. The US has a minimal interest in commercial traffic through the Red Sea but is performing an international public good by trying to end these attacks.”

According to Shinn, Egypt’s revenues from the Suez Canal are already down 40 per cent because so many shipping companies, including the Chinese giant Cosco, are avoiding the waterway.

“Egypt can quietly urge countries having good relations with Iran, such as China, to put pressure on the Houthis to end the attacks. That would also end the need for the international naval task force in the Red Sea,” he said.