China-Pakistan Peace Plan: A Roadmap to End Iran War

The China–Pakistan peace roadmap presents a structured pathway from immediate ceasefire to negotiated settlement, aiming to stabilize energy routes and prevent wider escalation.

It’s not the matter of concern of who is winning or losing the battlefield. The important thing is what the international arena is going through, with energy prices at their highest. The destruction of energy infrastructure, whether in Iran or in the Gulf states, has made one thing clear: the recovery would take months, if not years, even if war ends today. Amid the ongoing escalations, a joint and collaborative step taken by China and Pakistan has gained the spotlight. On 31st March 2026, a five-point peace strategy was announced by both entities to finally end the hostilities, relieving the choked nerves of the international economy.

Five-Point Peace Proposal

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict, alternatives to violence” (Dorothy Thompson)

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict, alternatives to violence” (Dorothy Thompson)

In order to discuss the situation in the Gulf and Middle East region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently met with his Pakistani counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Prior to this, Islamabad hosted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt to discuss the continuing conflict. China and Pakistan’s Five-point peace plan includes the following elements:

The hostilities must stop right away

Commence peace negotiations at the earliest opportunity

The safety of nonmilitary targets

Security of shipping routes

The United Nations Charter’s supremacy

What the Plan Actually Says?

Apparently, the plan seems simple and broad. But, in between the lines, it provides ample space for each party to thoroughly assess the situation and ultimately agree upon such principles, which in one way or another support the aforementioned five points. The cessation of hostilities contends that every party involved in the conflict should immediately halt strikes against one another. Without overtly mentioning who is attacking whom, this plan focuses on the outcome, not the reason in the first place. It simply means that causes and obstacles could be addressed once the war is ended.

The second point emphasized diplomatic negotiations between the warring parties. Although direct or indirect talks were already in the pipeline, it stipulates that mediators and guarantors must intervene immediately to cease the hostilities with firm assurances. The plan also urged entities to avoid countervalue targeting against critical infrastructure. Whether it’s the US, Iran, or the GCC, the civilian infrastructure must be exempted from strikes.

In addition, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is another major tenet of the plan. It’s pretty clear that Hormuz is under Iran’s control; thus, Beijing has respectfully cautioned Iran to clear the transit route as negotiations go hand in hand. In the last, the reference to the UN Charter highlights China’s principal stance to preserve the current rules-based order and protect future generations from any major catastrophe.

Just as China intervened diplomatically in the conflict, a new 45-day ceasefire agreement was reached, and a ‘first round’ of talks was held in Islamabad. Even though a consensus was not reached this time (allegedly due to Israel’s pressure on the U.S.), a small door of hope has been opened by Pakistan. According to Iran’s FM, “Netanyahu’s call to Vance in the middle of the meeting shifted the focus from US-Iran negotiations to Israel’s interest.”

Whether it’s the US, Iran, or the GCC, China and Pakistan have a non-confrontational stance towards them, which has allowed Pakistan to emerge as a key mediator while China acts as a guarantor.

China-Pakistan Coordinated Diplomacy

The involvement of the US automatically draws the PRC’s attention to the war, as Iran lies in the immediate neighborhood of China. A great power can only be constrained or challenged by its peer competitor. The PRC fits perfectly in the frame. The diplomatic intervention of China, alongside Pakistan, is a strategic signal for Washington to understand the gravity of the matter and return to the principles of diplomacy. It also signals to the US that China is ready to play a proactive part in negotiations to end the hostilities as soon as possible.

Recent times have seen Pakistan’s diplomatic uplift, in particular after the Indo-Pak May 2025 conflict. The only state to which Iran agreed for the venue of negotiations was Pakistan, as it has close relations with the PRC, the US, Iran, and Gulf countries. This is why these historic talks were held in Islamabad. Moreover, history is evidence that Pakistan played a key mediation role between the US and China during the 1970s, opening diplomatic channels between the two powers. In addition, the lacuna created by the trust erosion between Iran and the US could be filled by China, as Iran trusts Chinese assurances. Therefore, China and Pakistan together, through sustained peace efforts, could reach a milestone in this regard.

“While unilateralism precipitates division and regression, multilateralism is the viable option for tackling global challenges.” (Xi Jinping, 2025)

“While unilateralism precipitates division and regression, multilateralism is the viable option for tackling global challenges.” (Xi Jinping, 2025)

China’s importance to the peace process is also signified due to the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in May 2026. Although the meeting was initially decided to be held in April, the ongoing war in the Middle East compelled both sides to postpone the meetup. Last year, in October 2025, both world leaders met in South Korea to ease trade tensions between the two states. The world witnessed that in spite of the imposition of heavy tariffs on Chinese goods by the US, the PRC had so many cards to play, in particular the export of critical minerals and soybeans.

But this time, the US has waged a war in China’s backyard. Without reaching a peace agreement with Iran, the upcoming G-2 meeting would cease to be an inflection point. This is where China has an upper hand. President Trump wants some big and transformative deals with China. To do so, the peace plan put forward by China must be acknowledged by the US. Even though the ceasefire was announced, this collaboration still seems far away.

The five-point peace plan put forward by China and Pakistan is not merely a diplomatic overture. Rather, it is a clear roadmap to end the ongoing hostilities. Although the PRC knows the fact that war would not end immediately, a principled approach could streamline the peace process. Moreover, the changing geopolitical situation and the great power competition (i.e., G-2) further provide space for diplomacy to play its part. China, being the super-economy, could play a proactive role to compel the US to end the hostilities and retrack to the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Pakistan, being a geopolitical key at the moment, could also hopefully help put an end to this madness.

Aleena Im is an independent researcher and writer and is interested in international relations and current affairs

Follow new articles on our Telegram channel

© New Eastern Outlook