China outcompetes US in peace race: China Daily editorial

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in China on Thursday, the first formal meeting between the two countries' top diplomats in more than seven years.

The meeting was aimed at activating the terms of a deal reached between the two countries last month to resume their diplomatic ties. The two sides agreed to proceed with the necessary measures to open their respective embassies in Teheran and Riyadh, and to enhance their coordination to facilitate exchanges.

It is further confirmation that Teheran and Riyadh have agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-establish ties, a reconciliation that was facilitated by the mediation of China.

The meeting of Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in Beijing is not only a testament to the two countries' resolve to mend their relations that have been strained by years of tension and conflict, but also the key role China is playing in promoting peace and development in the Middle East.

With Saudi Arabia and Iran reaching an accord, it has raised hopes that it will mark the start of a domino effect in the region, with other countries choosing to put aside their differences in favor of peace, stability and development.

The Middle East was subject to colonialism and, divided by the imperialist powers, it has long been convulsed by conflicts, with countries played against each other to serve the ambitions and interests of the colonial powers in their competition for influence.

After the Suez Crisis in 1956, the United States was for decades the main external factor in regional affairs, flexing both its diplomatic and military muscles in pursuit of its own agenda.

That has been the primary reason why the Middle East has been wracked by turmoil in recent decades. What the Middle East has needed is a round table, what the US has provided are the seeds of discord and weapons. The US Department of State even reported that US arms exports to the Middle East had risen by 49 percent to $205.6 billion in fiscal year 2022.

The US always views China as a competitor, but the two are actually participants in different races. While the US is in self-started arms races with any nation it dislikes, China is in a race to bring peace and prosperity to every corner of the world.

Believing that the future of the Middle East should always be in the hands of the countries in the region, China has said that it looks forward to seeing closer communication between Saudi Arabia and Iran and stands ready to continue playing a positive and constructive role in facilitating dialogue between them and among other parties in the region which are at odds with one another. History will prove peace prevails over war.