With confidence at all-time high, can China emerge as Mideast peace broker?

Ever since the Beijing agreement was signed in March 2023, Riyadh and Tehran have stopped wrangling over regional conflicts like Syria and Yemen. After seven years, there has been a sustainable de-escalation of tension between the two rivals. Having achieved this masterstroke, Beijing’s confidence is at an all-time high, and it is eager to tackle the urgent situation in Gaza.

With the Chinese-brokered peace deal, there was a reopening of embassies in June, which was followed by an exchange of ambassadors between the two countries in September. Taking the process further, a Saudi-Chinese-Iranian tripartite committee meeting took place in Beijing.

Praising China for playing host, the Saudi and Iranian delegations affirmed their full commitment to implementing all terms of the agreement. Quite substantially, the deal includes a security cooperation agreement signed in 2001 and a 1998 pact to enhance trade, investment, technology and culture ties.

Holding key trilateral discussions with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi switched to the Gaza matter, saying that Beijing always supports the people of the Middle East in independently exploring development paths and solving regional security issues by working together.