in talks with his Iranian counterpart. The pair met in Beijing on Wednesday on what is Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi's first trip to China since the Iran war began. Wang Yi also told Araqchi that achieving a lasting ceasefire was an "urgent priority", saying it was important to persist with negotiations. He added that Beijing was ready to help de-escalate tensions. The meeting comes a week before US president Donald Trump is set to hold a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which the leaders are likely to discuss the Iran war and reopening of the strait.

"China believes that achieving a comprehensive ceasefire is an urgent priority, while reopening hostilities would be even more undesirable," said Wang Yi, according to a readout by state media. "On the issue of the Strait, the international community shares a common concern over restoring normal and secure navigation through the Strait, and China hopes relevant parties will respond as soon as possible to the strong call from the international community." Beijing, which has tried to mediate while avoiding entanglement in the conflict, has repeatedly urged the US and Iran to hold talks - a point that Wang reiterated on Wednesday. Wang also added that China appreciated Iran's commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, Chinese state media reported. (BBC)