Blinken asks China to use 'influence' for Middle East calm

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday (Oct 14) for China, a partner of Iran, to use its influence to push for calm in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday (Oct 14) for China, a partner of Iran, to use its influence to push for calm in the Middle East.

The top US diplomat, who was visiting Saudi Arabia, had a "productive" one-hour telephone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"Our message was that he thinks it's in our shared interest to stop the conflict from spreading." Miller told reporters on Blinken's plane from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi.

"He thought it could be useful if China could use its influence."

China has a warm relationship with Iran, whose clerical leadership supports both Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group ruling Gaza that carried out grisly attacks inside Israel a week ago, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that could open a second front against Israel.