Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met in Beijing on March 31 and issued a joint five-point initiative calling for an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The plan names Iran and the GCC states but makes no direct reference to the United States or Israel, though an indirect allusion may be read into the second point's call for all parties to refrain from the use or threat of force. 

The plan, titled "Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan for Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and Middle East Region," sets out the two countries' demands for ending the conflict, which has now entered its second month.

The first point calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and "utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading," with humanitarian assistance allowed into all war-affected areas.

The second demands the start of peace talks "as soon as possible," with the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national independence of both Iran and the Gulf states safeguarded. "Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts," the statement said.

The third point addresses the protection of civilians and non-military targets, calling on all parties to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure including energy, desalination and power facilities and "peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants." The reference to nuclear sites follows repeated strikes near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, where Russian agency Rosatom has been evacuating non-essential staff.

The fourth point calls for the security of shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, urging parties to "protect the security of ships and crew members stranded" in the waterway, allow safe passage for civilian and commercial vessels and restore normal transit "as soon as possible."

The fifth calls for the primacy of the United Nations Charter and "true multilateralism," urging the conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement based on international law.

The initiative follows Pakistan's hosting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on March 29 for talks on de-escalation.

Analysts have questioned whether such demands are realistic outside of active hostilities.

China brokered the 2023 Iran-Saudi normalisation deal but played little visible role in enforcing its implementation, raising questions over how much credibility Beijing carries with Riyadh and the wider GCC as a potential guarantor of any peace framework.