Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Hissein Brahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Beijing on Monday, January 26.
Wang Yi Thanks OIC for Xinjiang, Taiwan Support, Seeks Closer Cooperation
Wang pointed out that the OIC is the largest group of its kind in the Islamic world. He said China always values its relationship with Islamic countries and the OIC, and thanked them for supporting China’s positions on Xinjiang and Taiwan.
China wants to team up with Islamic countries to protect the rights and interests of developing nations. Wang said they should push back against any return to “the law of the jungle” in global affairs.
He suggested both sides should focus on building high-quality Belt and Road projects, work toward political solutions in regional conflict zones, and keep peace and stability in the Middle East.
China Calls for United Front With Islamic Nations
Wang also called for true multilateralism, saying both sides should back the United Nations’ central role and uphold key rules in international relations. The goal, he said, is a fairer and more just global system.
Taha, for his part, said the OIC stands firmly behind the one-China principle. He praised the progress in Xinjiang and rejected foreign interference in China’s internal matters.
He said the OIC wants to deepen its partnership with China and work together for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
Taha also thanked China for helping move the Palestinian issue toward a comprehensive and lasting solution, and said he hoped China would do even more in the future.
All this happened in Beijing while tensions in the Middle East kept building. An Iranian official had warned that any attack would be treated as “an all-out war against us.”
What’s happening on the other end?
That came after US President Donald Trump announced that a US “armada” was on its way to the region, just in case, and warned Iran not to crack down on protesters or restart its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, an Iranian official said at least 5,000 people were killed after protests over economic hardship.
During the talks, Wang Yi pushed for a regional security partnership and political solutions to crisis areas. On top of that, US officials said an aircraft carrier and several missile destroyers would soon arrive in the Middle East.
(With inputs from Reuters)
