China not after sphere of influence in Middle East: Chinese FM

Tehran – China does not seek proxies or spheres of influence in the Middle East, the country’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at a recent press conference.

According to the Chinese newspaper, People’s Daily, Wang made the remarks while commenting on whether China would shift its Middle Eastern policy as regional tensions continue to rise.

The foreign minister stressed China’s supports to the quest for independence and liberation of countries in the region and China is seeking closer economic and trade ties with the region. “We are contributing actively to peace and stability in the Middle East,” he added, according to IRNA.

“China does not seek any spheres of influence in the Middle East, nor do we look for any proxy. Our approach is the opposite. We adopt an objective and impartial attitude, we try to facilitate peace talks, and our position is selfless and aboveboard,” Wang told the press.

He also said that all the Middle East nations expect China to play a bigger role in the region given its unique strength.

Wang hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran at the start of this year as an historic visit, saying it opened a new chapter of relations between China and the Middle East.

Xi kicked off his five-day Mideast tour on January 19, during which he also visited the headquarters of the Arab League. In his speech there, he offered China’s remedies for Mideast predicaments by addressing both the symptoms and root cause.

Xi said more dialogue is needed to eliminate divergence, and development should be accelerated to eradicate turmoil. He also suggested regional countries to take development paths suitable to their national conditions.

During the visit, he agreed with his counterparts to achieve coordinated growth by docking development strategies under the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

The remedies prescribed by Xi were echoed by Mideast nations, which agreed to render their support in building the route and play a pivotal role in stretching the route to Africa and Europe.

“If there is any change in China’s policy toward the region, it is that in the context of building the Belt and Road, we want to play a more active role in deepening win-win cooperation with Mideast countries,” Wang noted at the conference.

He also stressed that China will play a more active role in seeking political settlement for burning issues in the region, despite that the country’s adhesion to the principle of not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs won’t be compromised.

M.W