Pakistan-China Five-Point Peace Proposal: A ray of hope for Peace and Stability in the Region
Dr. Syed Mehboob
Senior Business and Political Analyst
http//: www.thenewslark.com
Email:[email protected]
Unfortunately, the United States of America has a long history of interference into the affairs of other countries, colonial designs and aspirations, invasions and occupation, protecting and supporting Israel, including its horrific genocide committed in Gaza. For these objectives, it has several times crushed under its feet all the international laws, rules, and norms, totally ignoring the UN, ICC, ICJ, and OIC, and made them inactive and meaningless. Its recent attacks on Iran have jeopardized global peace and stability. If peace is not restored, the world will suffer economically, and there might be another bloodshed and irreparable loss for humanity.
CHINA at the other hand, has a magnificent history of promoting peace, friendship, investment, trade, and business, sharing resources and creating a win-win situation.
Pakistan and China's friendship is greater than the Himalaya, sweeter than honey, and deeper than oceans. It is all-weather, time-tested, and deep-rooted. Both countries strive for the promotion of peace and stability, and both are very much worried about the prevailing scenario and dangers ahead due to Israel US war against Iran. The energy crisis has affected the whole world. The Strait of Hormuz, which is the route of 20% International oil trade, is still blocked while the US has threatened ground attacks on Iran. The situation demands immediate actions to start serious, meaningful negotiations to stop the war and prevent further catastrophe. Both Pakistan and China have taken another serious initiative for peace, which, if it were seriously taken by the US, might pave the way for a durable peace in the region.
On March 31, 2026, China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point initiative in Beijing to restore peace and stability in the Middle East amidst rising conflicts, focusing on an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access, civilian protection, maritime security, and diplomatic dialogue. Here is the detail of this five-point proposal:
1. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: Immediate ceasefire and efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading, along with ensuring humanitarian access.
2. Start of Peace Talks: Initiating dialogue, supporting diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts, and resolving disputes peacefully.
3. Security of Nonmilitary Targets: Protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure (such as energy and desalination plants) while adhering to international humanitarian law.
4. Security of Shipping Lanes: Protecting the safety of ships in the Strait of Hormuz and restoring normal maritime passage.
5. Primacy of the UN Charter: Strengthening the role of the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.
The initiative aims to curb the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. by encouraging diplomacy over military action. The proposal emphasizes the protection of regional and global stability.
Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, met in Beijing on 31 March 2026 to review the situation in the Gulf and Middle East Region.
The two sides put forward the following:
I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.
II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence, and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable options to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to a peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination, and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the U.N., and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law.
While China has condemned the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran, it has since held a position largely of neutrality and focused its efforts on calling for a ceasefire, while negotiating directly with Tehran for the safe passage of its own oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement after Tuesday’s meeting, Pakistan and China jointly called for an immediate ceasefire and for the safety of waterways, including the blockaded strait, to be protected, and released a five-part initiative for peace.
The joint statement agreed that dialogue and diplomacy were “the only viable option to resolve conflicts. ”
Playing the role of mediator, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and army chief, Field Marshal Hafiz Syed Asim Munir, have been communicating with the US president, Donald Trump, and the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as dozens of other global leaders, and messages between the two warring countries have passed through Pakistani intermediaries.
On Sunday, Islamabad hosted talks with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, in an effort to find a regional solution to ending the conflict. Analysts said Pakistan’s fervent embrace of the role of interlocutor between Iran and the US came after years of Islamabad being sidelined by Washington under previous presidents and a push by the government and Munir for the country to be seen as a regional diplomatic heavyweight.
Pakistan seeks to reinforce its standing as a consequential middle power within the broader Muslim world and to signal continued geopolitical importance to external partners, particularly Washington and the Gulf states.
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north lies Iran, and on the South coast lies the Musandam Peninsula, shared by the United Arab Emirates and the Musandam Governorate, an exclave of Oman. The Strait is about 167 kilometers long, with a width varying from 97 km to 39 km.
It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. During 2023–2025, 20% of the world's Liquified Natural Gas ( LNG) and 25% of seaborne oil trade passed through the strait annually. It is a major source of petroleum products for Europe and Asia and has been described as "critical" to Europe's energy security. It is also the only maritime route for several Gulf countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, and disruption to the strait can cause severe supply shortages.
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