China’s Wang Yi meets Iran’s Araghchi before Trump trip amid Gulf shipping concerns

China hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday, just days before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China, in a meeting that comes amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf and concerns over global energy flows. Araghchi met China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday morning, according to state news agency Xinhua, in their first in-person talks since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28. China’s foreign ministry said it initiated the invitation but did not disclose a detailed agenda. Iran’s foreign ministry said the talks would focus on bilateral ties as well as regional and international developments. The meeting comes as Washington seeks Beijing’s support in stabilising the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route where about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transited before the conflict. Commercial traffic through the waterway has slowed sharply in recent weeks. Wang and Araghchi have held at least three phone calls since the start of the conflict, with Beijing repeatedly calling for a ceasefire and for the uninterrupted flow of commercial shipping. Chinese President Xi Jinping also urged “normal passage” through the strait in late April. The talks also take place ahead of Trump’s planned May 14–15 visit to Beijing, where U.S. officials are expected to press China to use its influence with Tehran to help restore shipping flows. The visit comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Beijing, including U.S. sanctions targeting Chinese refiners purchasing Iranian oil and China’s recent move to counter those measures through regulatory action. The post China’s Wang Yi meets Iran’s Araghchi before Trump trip amid Gulf shipping concerns appeared first on Khaama Press.