Antony Blinken urges Beijing to use influence in Israel-Gaza conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Beijing to use its influence in the Middle East to prevent other state or non-state actors from attacking Israel and widening its war with Hamas, the State Department said.

Blinken spoke with Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi before departing from Riyadh, where the top US diplomat was attempting to shore up support for Israel among Arab nations, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

It was the pair’s first call since the Hamas attacks on Israel a week ago.

President Joe Biden’s envoy is on a whirlwind diplomatic tour of the Middle East, making stops in Israel, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Saudi Arabia.

The US has been particularly concerned about Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group in Lebanon, opening an additional front in the war on Israel’s northern border. China has close relations with Iran, and assisted Tehran in brokering a landmark diplomatic detente with Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Wang reiterated China’s stance that it opposes any actions that harm civilians and condemns all practices that violate the international laws, according to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.