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 facilitation and coordination.
"After coordinating 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 surrounding waters are an important route for international trade in goods and energy. China calls for an immediate end to hostilities to restore peace and stability in the Gulf, Mao said.
This is the first time China, a large importer of Iranian oil for years despite US sanctions, has spoken of its ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that Iran is permitting the Chinese ships to cross the Strait in view of the close strategic ties.
Mao also said that the Middle East conflict will be discussed in the meeting between Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, is travelling to China on Tuesday. He is expected to brief Wang on the discussions held during the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Türkiye, 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.
Ever 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.