Translated by Claude, edited by Sinocism.com

Xinhua, Beijing, June 16 — Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a telephone call on the evening of the 16th with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

新华社北京6月16日电 中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅16日晚同巴基斯坦副总理兼外长达尔通电话。

Dar briefed China on Iran and the United States reaching a first-phase memorandum of understanding, and thanked China for maintaining close communication with Pakistan over the past several months and for lending valuable support to Pakistan's mediation efforts. Pakistan looks forward to continued communication and coordination with China, to sustaining the current momentum in the peace talks, and to jointly playing a positive role in achieving lasting regional peace and stability.

达尔通报了伊朗与美国达成第一阶段谅解备忘录情况，感谢中方在过去几个月同巴方保持密切沟通，对巴方斡旋努力予以宝贵支持。巴方期待同中方继续沟通协调，维持当前和谈势头，共同为实现地区持久和平稳定发挥积极作用。

Wang Yi congratulated Pakistan on facilitating the first-phase memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, and stressed that working for peace is an international responsibility incumbent on all countries, China and Pakistan included. As long as there is still hope for peace, the effort is worth making. Since the fighting began, China has engaged with all parties, actively worked to halt the conflict and promote peace, firmly backed Pakistan from the outset, emphasized to all parties that Pakistan is a trustworthy mediator, and in its own way separately did work with both Iran and the United States.

王毅祝贺巴基斯坦推动伊美达成第一阶段谅解备忘录，强调为和平而努力是包括中巴在内所有国家应尽的国际责任。只要和平还有希望，就值得为此付出。战事发生以来，中方同各方开展接触，积极止战促和，从一开始就力挺巴方，向各方强调巴是值得信赖的斡旋者，也以自己的方式分别做了伊朗和美国工作。

Wang Yi said that of a hundred-li journey, ninety is but the halfway mark (行百里者半九十, a classical idiom from the Zhanguo Ce meaning the final stretch is the hardest). The present consensus is far from an end point and is instead a new starting point, and lasting peace in the Middle East and Gulf region still requires unremitting effort from all parties. It can be foreseen that, compared with the first phase, the second phase of negotiations will be more difficult. But China believes there can be no turning back, still less any renewed resort to force. The international community should further lend support to the Iran-US negotiations, and multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council should also play a greater role. China has consistently maintained that countries in the region should hold their own future and destiny in their own hands, and hopes that through dialogue and consultation a peace and security architecture in which all regional countries take part can be explored. Now that the door to peace has opened, it should not be shut again. The Middle East has long been ravaged by the flames of war, and the people of the Middle East deserve peace. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to keep urging reconciliation and promoting talks without pause, and to continue making efforts toward an early restoration of peace, stability, and development in the Middle East.

王毅表示，行百里者半九十，目前的共识远非终点，而是新的起点，中东海湾地区持久和平仍需各方不懈努力。可以预见同第一阶段相比，第二阶段谈判的难度将更大。但中方认为不能走回头路，更不能重新诉诸武力。国际社会应当进一步为伊美谈判提供助力，联合国安理会等多边机构也应发挥更大作用。中方一直主张地区国家要把前途命运掌握在自己手中，希望通过对话协商探讨地区所有国家共同参与的和平安全架构。和平的大门既已打开，就不应再次关上。中东地区饱受战火摧残，中东人民值得拥有和平。中方愿同巴方一道，劝和不停歇，促谈不止步，为早日恢复中东和平稳定与发展继续作出努力。