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In a statement last week, China expressed support for the
efforts of the UAE to reach a "peaceful solution" to the issue
of the islands - the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa.
The islands, claimed by the UAE and Iran, have been held by
Tehran since 1971.
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".
"Considering the strategic cooperation between Tehran and
Beijing, it is expected that the Chinese government will revise
its stance on this matter," the Iranian foreign ministry said.
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".
"The relevant contents of the China-UAE Joint Statement are
consistent with China's position," said Mao Ning at a regular
press briefing when asked about Iran's protest, offering no
revision of Beijing's stance.
She added that China and Iran had a strong relationship, and
that China attached great importance to the development of their
strategic partnership.
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.
That statement went on to stress the need to "ensure the
peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program", which was not
mentioned in the latest statement with the UAE.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Ryan Woo; Editing by Ros Russell)
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