Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's national security adviser in Beijing on Monday, November 2, that the Persian Gulf region has once again reached a "critical crossroads between war and peace."
He added that China hopes that all parties will end the hostilities through negotiations.
According to Wang, all parties should act to protect the energy security of the region and the security of shipping lanes.
Based on the meeting summaries released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang also said that Beijing is willing to cooperate with the Saudi side to achieve new developments in bilateral relations.
These statements were issued hours after the British Naval Operations Center announced that an oil tanker moving southeast in the Persian Gulf, 72 nautical miles east of Ras al-Hajji in Saudi Arabia, had been hit by two unidentified projectiles. Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz when the war began last March, and in recent weeks it has increased its attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.