WorldPosted at: Sep 16 2026 5:07PM


Wang Yi, Araghchi hold talks in Beijing amid West Asia tensions

Beijing, Sep 16 (UNI) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two sides discussing bilateral ties and regional and international issues amid continuing tensions in West Asia.
Araghchi arrived in Beijing earlier in the day as the head of a diplomatic delegation for a one-day visit and met Wang for talks.
The meeting came ahead of an expected meet between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump later this month and marked the second in-person meeting between Wang and Araghchi in Beijing since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
The two foreign ministers had also met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers' meeting in Kyrgyzstan in July and during the BRICS summit in New Delhi this month.
Ahead of the visit, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Araghchi would discuss bilateral relations as well as key regional and international issues with his Chinese counterpart.
China and Iran maintain a "comprehensive strategic partnership", with economic and energy ties forming a major component of their relationship. China is among the largest buyers of Iranian oil, while bilateral trade exceeded USD 41 billion last year.
The talks come as the US-led war on Iran has entered its seventh month, as the US and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting government buildings, military sites, missile infrastructure and air defences. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and US bases in the region.
The conflict has since widened across the region, while diplomatic efforts have continued to seek an end to the hostilities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend, leading Iran's delegation. Araghchi and Wang were also seen holding a brief conversation on the sidelines of the summit.
During his recent engagement with China, Pezeshkian also called for the development of a five-year action plan with Beijing to address sand and dust storms and desertification.
The proposal follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and China in Lanzhou in 2025. Under the proposed plan, the Salehiyeh Wetland, a major source of dust affecting Iran's Alborz, Qazvin, and Tehran provinces, and the Tabas desert have been identified as pilot areas for joint projects.
Pezeshkian has urged Iranian institutions to work closely with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and called for funding for research and measures under the proposed plan.
Iran, an arid and semi-arid country, has faced worsening drought, declining rainfall, and rising temperatures, contributing to desertification and more frequent dust storms that have affected agriculture, public health, and infrastructure.
Iran has also sought greater international cooperation on the issue. Its UN ambassador Amir-Saeed Iravani chaired a high-level event in New York in July to mark the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, according to Iranian state media.
Iravani described dust storms as a global challenge affecting health, food security, transport, economies and the environment, and called for stronger international cooperation, including access to technology and financial resources for developing countries.
The UN General Assembly declared July 12 the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms in 2023 following an Iranian initiative.
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