Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published : April 15,2024
By staff writer
On Saturday 14, 2024, Iran launched an attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson was quoted by media saying that, “Iran’s unprecedented attacks on Israel was foiled with almost all the more than 200 missiles and drones intercepted with the help of the United States and allies.”
Following the attack, Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China was deeply concerned with the escalation of Iran- Israel conflict and argued the concerned parties to exercise restraint. The ministry also said that the escalation is Manifestation of spillover from the Gaza conflict.
Early this year, China came up with a proposal for a large scale, more authoritative Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and a timetable to implement a two-state solution. On March 25, The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and the urgent need to expand the flow of aid into Gaza. Unfortunately, this UN resolution was not respected.
In 2023, China successfully brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia,the two countries agreeing to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of cold relationship. Saudi Arabia and Iran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
China made a resolve to continue playing an active role in handling hotspot issues and demonstrate responsibility as major nations. China being a country that does not use force to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, is widely viewed as a reliable mediator that can be a host of dialogues for countries around the world that are in crisis. China’s ability to fix Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, gives confidence that given the mandate, Beijing is capable of mediating Iran-Israel and Israel-Gaza conflicts.
On the International stage, political analysts opine that China’s ability to fix Iran-Saudi Arabia diplomatic ties is an indication of a “changing global order” and reflects China’s role as a global peace maker.
Regarding the Ukraine-Russia conflict, China is the only country in the world that came up with a comprehensive proposal “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.” The twelve-point paper calls for all parties to support dialogue between Russia and Ukraine which would lead to gradual deescalate of the conflict. To the contrary, The U.S and its NATO allies have taken sides giving Ukraine arms worth millions of dollars to continue making war. Consequently, countless lives have been lost on both sides with no sign of reaching a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
China’s efforts to safeguard world peace should be commended and supported. On April 21, 2022, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI) calling for countries to uphold world peace and security and promoting global development and prosperity. Without peace, there can be no prosperity and human progress. GSI aims to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, and encourage joint international efforts. With China at the fore front of playing a mediatory role in global hotspots, there is much hope for peace to prevail.
