As the confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran hits the one-month mark on March 28, China has launched an intensive diplomatic push over the past four weeks – a mix of high-level phone calls, shuttle diplomacy, and face-to-face engagements – to defuse the spiraling tensions gripping the Middle East.

By engaging all relevant parties – from bitter adversaries Iran and Israel, to regional heavyweights like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as well as major global powers – Beijing has worked relentlessly to press for an immediate ceasefire, prevent conflict spillover, revive dialogue between key stakeholders, and build consensus around de-escalation.

Intensive high-level diplomacy

The scale of China's engagement is evident in the calendar of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. From March 1 to 27, Wang held 18 phone calls and three in-person meetings, forging a diplomatic network that stretched from the Gulf to the capitals of the West.

In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, Wang characterized the hostilities as "a war that should not have happened – it is a war that does no one any good." He emphasized that all countries' territorial integrity and security must be respected, and unilateral military action without UN authorization must be rejected.

He repeatedly called for an immediate halt to military operations, urging all sides to break the cycle of escalation and prevent the conflict from spilling across the broader region. This principled stance was consistently conveyed in his calls with the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As tensions threatened to trigger wider regional instability in mid-March, Wang held talks with his counterparts from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Egypt. During these conversations, he stressed the critical need to protect civilians, key infrastructure, and maritime security, and to avoid further spillover that would harm all regional countries.

Building on his communications with Russia, Wang also maintained close coordination with fellow UN Security Council permanent members France and the United Kingdom. This coordination included a phone call with the UK foreign minister, a conversation with the French president's diplomatic adviser, and an in-person meeting in Beijing with the UK prime minister's national security adviser – underscoring China's commitment to aligning with major countries in the push for peace.

Since March 24, Wang has consistently delivered a core message during phone calls with Iran, as well as Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan – three countries reported to be acting as mediators between the United States and Iran – and Canada: seize every window of opportunity for peace and restart the negotiation process as soon as possible.

"Talking is always better than fighting," he has repeatedly stressed, urging all parties to seize the nascent peace opportunity to launch negotiations immediately, prioritize ceasefire and de-escalation to prevent further spillover and casualties, and restore normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international energy and trade route that has faced severe disruptions amid the conflict.

He has also called on the US and Iran to return to the negotiating table, voiced support for mediating efforts, and appealed to the international community to jointly facilitate a political settlement.

Special envoy's shuttle diplomacy

Parallel to Wang's high-level diplomatic push, China's special envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, conducted a high-stakes shuttle mission across the region from early to mid-March, navigating wartime conditions, including disrupted air travel and security alerts, to engage directly with key capitals and advance peace efforts.

During his trip, Zhai met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt, as well as the secretaries-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League, and held a phone call with the minister of state for foreign affairs of Qatar, to coordinate de-escalation efforts.

Upon his return to Beijing, Zhai held follow-up meetings with ambassadors from Iran, Israel, GCC countries and Russia, consolidating diplomatic outreach and exchanging views on Middle East tensions.

Zhai later noted at a briefing that the trip was particularly challenging due to active hostilities: Some countries he visited had closed their airspace, forcing ground travel between nations, and his team witnessed the aftermath of missiles being shot down, underscoring the urgency of China's peace efforts.

All visiting nations, he said, expressed deep concern over conflict spillover, emphasized the need to protect civilians and energy infrastructure, and welcomed China's impartial mediation as a critical stabilizing force.

An 'irreplaceable' stabilizing role

Analysts have lauded China's multi-pronged diplomacy as a stabilizing force in the volatile region, highlighting its constructive role as a responsible major power.

China's multi-track diplomatic mediation demonstrates the constructive nature of its foreign policy, said Chen Yueyang, deputy secretary-general of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development. "It is playing an irreplaceable stabilizing role in easing escalation."

China has unique advantages and a strong foundation in playing a constructive role in the Middle East, as it adheres to an objective and impartial stance, takes no sides, and is committed to upholding international fairness and justice, Chen said.

Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, emphasized that China's diplomatic outreach has sent a clear and unequivocal message to the international community.

"Confronted with the ongoing conflict involving Iran, China will not simply stand idly by," Zhu said. Instead, he added, China will coordinate and communicate with the majority of the international community, and on that basis, convey its solemn position and voice to the parties concerned.

Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, pointed out that by publicly articulating its positions and principles, China effectively speaks for the mainstream voice of the international community, especially representing the positions and interests of the Global South and developing countries.

He added that a growing number of countries adopting China's approach in the period ahead would help encourage parties to the conflict return to the negotiating table at an early date and resolve disputes through political means, rather than military force.

As the conflict enters a second month, the core message of China's diplomatic efforts remains consistent: dialogue is the only viable path to peace, and Beijing's commitment to mediating the conflict – rooted in impartiality and a dedication to regional stability – will not waver. As Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian noted, "As long as the conflict continues, China's diplomatic mediation efforts will not stop."