China has held its stance on three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, despite Iran’s displeasure, after Beijing described the Iran-controlled islands as a matter to be resolved with the United Arab Emirates.
The islands, claimed by the UAE and Iran, the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, have been held by Tehran since 1971, but last week, China expressed support for the efforts of the UAE to reach a peaceful solution to the issue of the islands –
In a rare show of anger toward its biggest trading partner, the Iranian foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the Chinese ambassador to Iran to protest China’s “repeated support” for the UAE’s “baseless claims”.
The Iranian foreign ministry said considering the strategic cooperation between Tehran and Beijing, it is expected that the Chinese government will revise its stance on this matter, but China’s foreign ministry on Monday repeated its call for Iran and the UAE to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, describing China’s stance on the matter as “consistent”.
China angered Iran in December 2022 when it issued a joint statement with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that called for efforts to resolve the issue of the three islands.
