A Chinese diplomat urged "calm and restraint" between Saudi Arabia and Iran during a visit to both countries last week, China's government said Monday (Jan 11).
Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iran earlier this month after angry protesters ransacked and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran over the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
The tensions between the Sunni and Shiite powers have reverberated across the Middle East and the Muslim world, complicating efforts to resolve conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Chinese vice foreign minister Zhang Ming met last week with senior Saudi and Iranian officials during two-day visits to each country, China's ministry of foreign affairs said in separate statements on its official website.
