A five-point plan calling for hostilities to end “immediately” and for peace talks to take place “as soon as possible” is the outcome of talks in Beijing between China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, held more than a month after the outbreak of the war in Iran. China and Pakistan, long-standing partners that have tried to mediate to prevent further escalation, presented what Islamabad described as the “Five-Point Initiative for the Restoration of Peace and Stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region.” The official Chinese agency referred to them as “five proposals.”

Ishaq Dar arrived in China yesterday after last weekend’s meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. Pakistan and China are now calling for “maximum effort to prevent the conflict from widening.” Following the Islamabad summit, Ishaq Dar said Pakistan could host talks between Iranian and US delegations “in the coming days.” The Beijing meeting was used to “review the situation in the Gulf region and the Middle East.” “Dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable option for resolving conflicts,” they emphasized.

What the plan includes

“China and Pakistan support the parties concerned in initiating talks, with all sides committed to a peaceful resolution of disputes and to refrain from using or threatening to use force during peace talks,” the text released in Islamabad says. “The principle of protecting civilians in military conflicts must be respected.” The two allied countries call on “all parties in conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilian and non-military targets,” including “critical infrastructure.”

Islamabad and Beijing urge “the parties to ensure the safety of vessels and crews in the Strait of Hormuz,” to “allow” the “safe passage of merchant and civilian ships,” and to “restore normal transit through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.” Finally, they make a plea for “multilateralism,” insisting on a “lasting peace” based on the “United Nations Charter and international law.”