Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper upon the latter's request on Thursday, exchanging views on the Middle East situation.

Cooper said that in the face of an increasingly turbulent world, the UK hopes to maintain close communication with China to facilitate an end to the hostilities as soon as possible, restart diplomatic negotiations, and seek a long-term solution to the Middle East tensions.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is escalating and expanding, which not only impacts regional peace and stability but also directly affects international energy, finance, trade and shipping, harming the common interests of all nations.

There are no winners in a protracted conflict, and a ceasefire is the common aspiration of all, he said.

China urges all sides to immediately cease military operations, resolve differences through equal dialogue, and work together to safeguard regional peace and stability, Wang said.

As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and the UK share the responsibility of upholding international peace and security, he noted.

Both sides should step up communication, act in ways conducive to peace, and work together to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, so as to prevent further erosion of the international order and the undermining of world peace, Wang added.

The Chinese and British foreign ministers also exchanged views on bilateral relations, agreeing to actively implement the common understandings reached by leaders of the two countries, strengthen exchanges, and continue to advance a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UK, providing stability and certainty in a changing and turbulent world.