Report: Chinese delegation to join US-Iran talks, may offer guarantees
A delegation from China will join the negotiations in Islamabad in an attempt to assist Pakistan during the discussions between the United States and Iran. This was reported by the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing a source in Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. According to the report, China may offer guarantees if the two sides reach an agreement.
When Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would travel to Beijing the following day, it reached for familiar language, highlighting the longstanding ties between the two nations.
According to the ministry, both sides would hold “in-depth discussions on regional developments, as well as bilateral and global issues of mutual interest”, as the two countries “enjoy an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”.But Dar’s visit to China comes at a time when Islamabad is trying to calm particularly turbulent weather — not in its relationship with Beijing, but in Pakistan’s neighbourhood.
Over the weekend, Islamabad hosted the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for a quadrilateral meeting aimed at pushing the United States and Iran towards negotiations, a month into a war that has rapidly expanded to multiple theatres across the entire Middle East while leading to soaring energy prices and the mounting risk of a global recession.
Dar’s decision to travel to China despite medical advice to rest following a hairline shoulder fracture, sustained after slipping while receiving Egypt’s foreign minister in Islamabad on Sunday, underlines a sense of urgency within Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts.
During a March 27 call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Dar that Beijing appreciated Islamabad’s “untiring efforts to cool down the situation”. That stance was reiterated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who said China “commends and supports Pakistan’s mediation effort for de-escalation and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with Pakistan and others to jointly work for a ceasefire and peace in the region”.
But Dar, said analysts, was not visiting China in the search for more back-slapping messages. At a time when US President Donald Trump swivels daily — at times hourly — between promoting diplomacy and threatening military escalation against Iran, and Tehran remains untrusting of Washington’s intent, Dar’s trip, they say, will hinge on the answer to a single question: Can Islamabad draw Beijing into going beyond rhetorical statements to take on a more consequential role in the ongoing mediation efforts?
Coordinating positions
According to Baqir Sajjad Syed, a former Pakistan fellow at the Wilson Center, Dar’s visit is aimed at briefing the Chinese leadership on the recently concluded Islamabad quadrilateral.
He said the trip would also help refine five principles for a potential US-Iran dialogue: an immediate ceasefire, resumption of talks, protection of civilians, maritime security, and adherence to the United Nations Charter.
“These principles were first discussed in the Wang Yi-Dar telephone conversation last week,” Syed told Al Jazeera. “One of the main objectives of this trip is to translate these into a more concrete framework or outcome document. Last week’s phone call was preliminary. In-person engagement allows more detailed coordination, possible alignment on parameters, and consideration of a joint statement,” he said.
Hours later, China and Pakistan announced these five principles as the cornerstone of their mediation efforts.
According to the ministry, both sides would hold “in-depth discussions on regional developments, as well as bilateral and global issues of mutual interest”, as the two countries “enjoy an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”.But Dar’s visit to China comes at a time when Islamabad is trying to calm particularly turbulent weather — not in its relationship with Beijing, but in Pakistan’s neighbourhood.
Over the weekend, Islamabad hosted the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for a quadrilateral meeting aimed at pushing the United States and Iran towards negotiations, a month into a war that has rapidly expanded to multiple theatres across the entire Middle East while leading to soaring energy prices and the mounting risk of a global recession.
Dar’s decision to travel to China despite medical advice to rest following a hairline shoulder fracture, sustained after slipping while receiving Egypt’s foreign minister in Islamabad on Sunday, underlines a sense of urgency within Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts.
During a March 27 call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Dar that Beijing appreciated Islamabad’s “untiring efforts to cool down the situation”. That stance was reiterated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who said China “commends and supports Pakistan’s mediation effort for de-escalation and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with Pakistan and others to jointly work for a ceasefire and peace in the region”.
But Dar, said analysts, was not visiting China in the search for more back-slapping messages. At a time when US President Donald Trump swivels daily — at times hourly — between promoting diplomacy and threatening military escalation against Iran, and Tehran remains untrusting of Washington’s intent, Dar’s trip, they say, will hinge on the answer to a single question: Can Islamabad draw Beijing into going beyond rhetorical statements to take on a more consequential role in the ongoing mediation efforts?
Coordinating positions
According to Baqir Sajjad Syed, a former Pakistan fellow at the Wilson Center, Dar’s visit is aimed at briefing the Chinese leadership on the recently concluded Islamabad quadrilateral.
He said the trip would also help refine five principles for a potential US-Iran dialogue: an immediate ceasefire, resumption of talks, protection of civilians, maritime security, and adherence to the United Nations Charter.
“These principles were first discussed in the Wang Yi-Dar telephone conversation last week,” Syed told Al Jazeera. “One of the main objectives of this trip is to translate these into a more concrete framework or outcome document. Last week’s phone call was preliminary. In-person engagement allows more detailed coordination, possible alignment on parameters, and consideration of a joint statement,” he said.
Hours later, China and Pakistan announced these five principles as the cornerstone of their mediation efforts.
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