Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang
China on Thursday denied reports that its companies had provided satellite imagery and semiconductor chip manufacturing equipment to the Iranian military during the US-Israeli war against Iran, as Beijing also said it had made its “own efforts” to push for a ceasefire.The denial came a day after China said it had played a role in efforts to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran, after US President Donald Trump suggested that Beijing had helped bring Tehran to the negotiating table.Defence ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang rejected claims that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) had supplied chip manufacturing equipment to the Iranian military, and that a Chinese commercial satellite company had released images of US military bases in the Middle East.China firmly opposes the dissemination of speculative and insinuating disinformation targeting China by relevant parties, said Zhang.He also rejected remarks by US officials who said they were aware of actions taken by China and Russia to help Iran and would respond if necessary.“China’s position on the Iran issue is above-board and straightforward. We have always upheld an objective and impartial stance,” Zhang said, adding that China has consistently worked to promote peace talks and “never added fuel to the fire”. “Who is saying one thing and doing another, and who is creating wars and conflicts around the world? The international community sees this very clearly,” he said, as quoted by PTI, citing state-run China Daily.Separately, addressing a regular briefing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning outlined Beijing’s diplomatic outreach, but stopped short of directly confirming reports of its involvement in persuading Iran to agree to the truce.“China has consistently advocated for a ceasefire and to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic means, and to achieve long-term stability in the Gulf and Middle East region,” she said.“China made its own efforts in this regard,” she added.Mao’s remarks came hours after Iran and the US agreed to a two-week pause in hostilities, with talks now expected to focus on a more durable peace arrangement.Last week, China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point peace initiative, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the protection of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor, Bloomberg reported.
