China has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, holding high-level meetings in Beijing with officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Oman as the war involving the United States and Israel and Iran continues. The activity was reported on 4 November, following meetings held in the Chinese capital on Monday, 2 November.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing. Wang told him that dialogue and negotiation remained the only viable path forward, as regional conflicts drag on and risk further spillover, Al Jazeera reported, citing China's foreign ministry.

Oman's landmark state visit

On the same day, President Xi Jinping hosted Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for a state visit, the first by an Omani head of state since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1978. Oman sits across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, the strategic waterway through which a large share of global energy exports travelled before the war restricted traffic.

During the visit, China and Oman signed an agreement, 14 memoranda of understanding and a cooperation protocol covering financial cooperation, trade, technology, investment and other sectors, according to the reports. Wang Yi also met Saudi Arabia's national security adviser, Musaed al-Aiban, on the same day.

Envoy to visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia

China's foreign ministry announced that Zhai Jun, Beijing's special envoy on the Middle East, will visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month. The announcement gave no exact dates or itinerary, and no draft agreement, deadline or guarantee has been published. The envoy's trip is the most concrete step announced so far in Beijing's renewed push, which officials have framed as support for dialogue, safe navigation and regional stability.

Sources: Al Jazeera, China steps up Middle East diplomacy with Iran and Oman meetings, 4 November 2026; IRIA News, China hosts Oman's sultan and officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia, 4 November 2026; Seoul Economic Daily, China Courts Saudi, Oman and Iran as It Seeks Mideast Mediator Role, 4 November 2026.