China kicks off key political meetings in Beijing under shadow of war in Iran

A key deliverable is China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which will outline the country's development goals until 2030. Read more at straitstimes.com.

BEIJING – China cast itself as a “responsible major power” and warned that no country should dominate international affairs, as the country’s annual Two Sessions opened on March 4 against the backdrop of ongoing US-Israeli military strikes in Iran.

“China calls for an immediate cessation of military operations, prevention of further escalation of tensions, resumption of dialogue and negotiations, and maintenance of peace and stability in the Middle East,” said Mr Lou Qinjian, a spokesman for the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s Parliament, at an annual press conference.

“China is willing to continue playing its role as a responsible major power in this regard,” he added.

Mr Lou was asked for China’s reaction to US military actions in Iran, Venezuela and potentially Greenland, and the increasing propensity for unilateralism and the use of force. He avoided criticising the United States by name.

“No country has the right to control international affairs, dictate the fate of other nations, or monopolise development advantages, much less act arbitrarily in the world,” he said.

While China is not directly involved in the Iran conflict, which entered its fifth day on March 4, Beijing has significant energy stakes in the crisis. China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, which accounts for about 13 per cent of its crude imports, and roughly one-third of its oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint off Iran.