China at the UN: sovereignty and security of Gulf states, including Hormuz, “must be respected”

China has called for respect of the sovereignty and security of Middle Eastern countries, including those of the Gulf, during its speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as Al Jazeera reports. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said that “the sovereignty and security of Middle Eastern countries, including the Gulf, must be respected”, at a time when the Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the seven-month conflict between the United States and Iran.

Beijing’s statement comes a day after US President Donald Trump publicly rejected the Iranian proposal for a 7-day plan, which envisaged reopening Hormuz within a week and resuming nuclear talks in exchange for lifting the American naval blockade of Iranian ports, unblocking 12 billion dollars in frozen assets and exempting Iranian oil from sanctions.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran has taken note of Trump’s reaction but has not yet received Washington’s “final position” through the mediators. “We are waiting for the mediators to convey the final views and we will decide on their basis,” Araghchi said, insisting that “only a negotiated solution can get out of this impasse”.

China has been one of the main buyers of Iranian oil throughout the conflict, while Washington has sought measures against Chinese companies backing Tehran. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, Han Zheng also called for Palestinian sovereignty and the reconstruction of Gaza after the conflict.