Abbas Araghchi Meets Wang Yi in Beijing as China Urges Reopening Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing as tensions with the United States mounted over the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing as tensions with the United States mount over the Strait of Hormuz”

Al Jazeera

The meeting came on Wednesday, with Araghchi’s visit described as his first in-person trip to China since the war began on February 28.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported Araghchi said China is a close friend of Iran and that “cooperation will even become stronger under current circumstances,” while Reuters said the talks took place a week before US President Donald Trump’s Beijing trip.

Wang called for Iran and the US to reopen the strait “as soon as possible,” and both sides framed the meeting around negotiations to end the conflict that has disrupted regional energy infrastructure and global oil and gas supplies.

In Beijing, Wang told Araghchi that a complete cessation of hostilities “is imperative” while restarting the conflict “is unacceptable, and persisting in negotiations is particularly important,” according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry carried by Anadolu Ajansı.

The BBC also quoted Wang saying a lasting ceasefire was an “urgent priority,” and it added that Beijing was ready to help de-escalate tensions.

Anadolu Ajansı

In Washington, the Chicago Tribune reported Trump threatened Iran with more bombing if it didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz, writing “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” after China’s foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire.

The same reporting tied the pressure to the Trump-Xi summit scheduled for May 14-15, with Araghchi’s visit to China described as coming ahead of that planned meeting.

The sources describe the Strait of Hormuz as the central pressure point, with the BBC saying blockades imposed by both Iran and the US left it “largely impassable” after the war began.

“Beijing extends support to Iran amid conflict with US ahead of Trump’s China trip International community shares common concern in restoring normal passage through Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells Iran’s Abbas Araghchi Riyaz ul Khaliq 06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026 Istanbul China on Wednesday extended support to Iran amid the conflict with the US as Beijing prepares to host US President Donald Trump next week”

Anadolu Ajansı

Al Jazeera said Iran in effect closed the strait after the war began, pushing fuel and fertiliser prices higher and prompting fears of a global recession, while it also noted the US imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports after a ceasefire in April.

The BBC added that China imported 1.38 million barrels of crude per day from Iran in 2025, around 12% of China’s total crude oil imports, underscoring how reopening the strait intersects with energy flows.

Against that backdrop, the Reuters and Al Jazeera accounts place Araghchi’s Beijing trip immediately before Trump’s scheduled summit with Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, with both sides signaling that negotiations and reopening shipping traffic remain the hinge for the next phase of the conflict.