China calls for reviving Islamabad MoU

FM Wang urges Iran, US to exercise restraint

BEIJING:

China urged the US and Iran to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump next week in Washington, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang's ministry said.

He encouraged Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint and "engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the call during his meeting with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, who is on a one-day trip to Beijing, according to a statement by China's Foreign Ministry.

The continued prolongation of the US-Iran conflict "is not in the common interest of the parties concerned and the international community," Wang told Araghchi.

"China encourages Iran and the United States to stay rational and exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at an early date, rebuild the negotiation mechanism based on the consensus reached so far, and conduct substantive consultations on issues of respective concern," Wang said.

The memorandum was signed in June after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar.

Backing Tehran's dialogue with Gulf states, Wang called for mutual respect for territorial sovereignty and national security, and "constructively safeguarding the common interests of the region."

"We urge all parties to take effective measures to open the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, maintain the safety and smooth flow of international shipping lanes, and safeguard the stability of international energy transportation and supply chains," said the Chinese foreign minister.