“So far, China has maintained a meticulous distance from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf, though it has ties with the regime in Tehran and is the largest buyer of Iranian oil”

“While Beijing condemned the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran, it has since held a position largely of neutrality and focused its efforts on calling for a ceasefire, while negotiating directly with Tehran for the safe passage of its own oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz”

“In a statement after Tuesday’s meeting, Pakistan and China jointly called for an immediate ceasefire and for the safety of waterways, including the blockaded strait, to be protected, and released a five-part initiative for peace”

“This week Trump claimed that negotiations with Iran were going 'extremely well' while Tehran has maintained there are no direct talks happening at all”

“In recent weeks, Pakistan has put itself at the centre of efforts to bring about a ceasefire to end the war with Iran and has been pushing for Islamabad as the location for peace talks”

“Playing on its relationships with both sides, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and army chief, Syed Asim Munir, have been communicating with the US president, Donald Trump, and the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as dozens of other global leaders, and messages between the two warring countries have passed through Pakistani intermediaries”

“On Sunday, Islamabad hosted talks with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, in an effort to find a regional solution to ending the conflict, yet the absence of the US and Iran from the negotiations was seen to undermine their diplomatic heft”