Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the world not to be allowed to “revert to the law of the jungle” in his most substantive comments to date on Middle East security since the US and Israeli attack on Iran plunged the region into conflict six weeks ago.

Xi — who has largely left China’s response to the war in the Gulf to his diplomats — made the statement during a meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

The two sides exchanged views on the current situation in the Gulf, with Xi stressing China’s position to promote peace and dialogue, while reiterating that it will “continue to play a constructive role,” according to a readout from Chinese state media.

For his “four proposals,” Xi called for upholding a “principle of peaceful coexistence” between states and the development of a “sustainable security architecture,” with the latter phrasing typically used by Beijing to obliquely push back at a US alliance system that it characterizes as a threat to global security.

He also called for international rule of law to be upheld and not “applied selectively” — again echoing another usual critique by Beijing of the United States.

“The authority of international law must be safeguarded; it must not be applied selectively or discarded when inconvenient, nor should the world be allowed to revert to the law of the jungle,” Xi said, according to the readout.

That phrase — “law of the jungle” — is frequently employed by Chinese leaders and state media to criticize unilateral action, often conducted by the US.

Xi said state sovereignty should be upheld, including protecting the safety of their personnel, facilities, and institutions of “all countries,” and that there should be coordination between “security and development.”

Source: CNN
-- Agencies