China urges peaceful talks amid ‘very sensitive’ Middle East situation

China on Wednesday called for “peaceful negotiations” amid what it described as a “very sensitive and complicated” situation in the Middle East, Anadolu reports.

Beijing “is willing to join the international community to advocate for peace and peaceful negotiations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing.

Lin was responding to a question about whether China planned to play any role during the ongoing ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

He noted that the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had discussed the tensions in the Middle East during their summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Tuesday.

The situation in the Middle East “is still very sensitive and complicated,” Lin warned.

A 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear, and civilian sites, killing at least 606 people and injuring 5,332, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.

The conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.

READ: China says war ‘not a solution’ to Iranian nuclear issue