China and Pakistan Issue Five-Point Proposal To End Iran War

March 31—China and Pakistan have put forward a five-point proposal for securing peace and stability in Iran and the Gulf region. Following a quadrilateral meeting with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Türkiye, Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar flew straight to Beijing to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday, March 31, after which the proposal was released.

Recognizing the positive role that Pakistan has been playing in trying to end the conflict, Wang Yi said, “Pakistan’s efforts to shuttle between parties to promote peace and end the fighting demonstrate its firm commitment to safeguarding regional and global peace. The timely strategic communication between China and Pakistan on major international and regional issues and the deepening of strategic coordination embody the essence of the China–Pakistan community with a shared future. China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in de-escalating tensions and restoring peace talks. This process will not be easy, but Pakistan’s mediation efforts are in line with the common interests of all parties.”

The five points, as outlined by Xinhua are as follows:

1. Immediate cessation of hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.

1. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
2. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law, and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
3. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
4. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the United Nations, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.