China on Monday called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen as soon as possible after the United States and Iran reached an initial peace agreement.
"The Strait of Hormuz is an important strait for international passage," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.
"We hope the strait can resume opening as soon as possible," he said.
Lin also welcomed the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran and praised Pakistan's role in mediating the negotiations.
"China welcomes US and Iran reaching the agreement on text of an initial memorandum of understanding and commends Pakistan's mediation efforts," he said in response to a question from an Anadolu correspondent.
"We hope the documents will be signed as planned and all relevant parties will stay committed to peaceful solutions," he added.
The comments came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced early Monday that the United States and Iran had reached a peace agreement and that a signing ceremony would be held in Switzerland on Friday.
Both Washington and Tehran later confirmed the announcement. US President Donald Trump said the agreement had been finalized and announced plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift a US naval blockade.
Pakistan has been mediating between the two sides since securing a ceasefire on April 8, weeks after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
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