Chinese President Xi Jinping urged a “diplomatic” solution to the Middle East crisis as he told the King of Jordan on Monday that the sovereignty of countries in the region should be respected. Xi told King Abdullah II during talks in Beijing that China values Jordan’s “unique and important role in the region”, which was thrown into crisis after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. “China has always advocated for a comprehensive ceasefire (and) resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means,” Xi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. “(China) believes the sovereignty and security of regional countries including Jordan should be respected,” Xi said. The Jordanian king has been on an official visit to China since Aug. 18 -- his ninth trip to the country since taking the throne in 1999. The U.S.-allied kingdom has been caught in the middle of Washington’s months-long war with Tehran. The Chinese president also urged on Monday a “comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue”, the foreign ministry statement said. China supports “promoting the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks anchored on the correct direction of the ‘two-state solution’,” Xi said. The two sides also signed several agreements on diplomacy, trade and supply chains, and issued a joint statement, China’s foreign ministry said. They called in that statement for restoring normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
