Beijing, March 31 China said on Tuesday that three of its ships carrying oil supplies have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and thanked relevant parties for their facilitation and coordination.
Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese ships recently transited the Strait of Hormuz. We express appreciation for the assistance of relevant parties," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here, without naming Iran, which is currently controlling the movement of oil shipments from the Gulf crossing the Strait.
Iran is demanding international recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters are an important route for international trade in goods and energy. China called for an immediate end to hostilities to restore peace and stability in the Gulf, Mao said.
This is the first time China, a major importer of Iranian oil for years despite US sanctions, has spoken about its ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, amid reports that Iran is permitting the Chinese ships to cross the Strait due to the close strategic ties.
In related developments, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with visiting Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the Iran situation in Beijing on Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is scheduled to exchange views with Dar on other international and regional issues of common concern, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier, Mao had said that the Iran situation would be discussed with Dar and Wang.
Dar is expected to brief Wang on the discussions held with the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to promote talks between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.
On Dar's visit, Mao said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners of mutual trust and mutual support.
The two countries share similar positions and maintain close communication on major international and regional issues, she said.
It is believed that the two foreign ministers will step up strategic communication and coordination on the situation in Iran and other international and regional issues of mutual interest, jointly call for peace and a just position, and make new efforts to help end the conflict and bring about peace and stability in the region, she said.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran, China has been calling on all countries to immediately stop military operations. China has also been calling for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, as its closure resulted in widespread disruption of fuel supplies.
While condemning the attacks on Iran, China is also preparing for US President Donald Trump's visit scheduled for May 14-15, during which expectations are high to finalise a trade deal between the two countries.