Beijing showed off its close ties to Tehran on Wednesday by hosting Iran’s top diplomat days before an expected summit between President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
周三，伊朗最高外交官访问北京，在特朗普总统与中国领导人习近平即将会面的前几天，北京展示了与德黑兰的密切关系。
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, repeated Beijing’s calls for an end to the war in Iran and for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in a meeting with Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, according to an official Chinese summary of the meeting.
根据中国官方的会议纪要，中国最高外交官王毅在与伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格齐的会面中重申了北京关于结束伊朗战争和重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的呼吁。
Mr. Araghchi told Mr. Wang that while Iran is prepared to defend itself against “aggressors,” it also “welcomes diplomatic solutions that secure the rights of the Iranian nation,” according to a statement about the meeting on Mr. Araghchi’s official social media account. He added that Tehran seeks the restoration of peaceful relations with its neighbors, and has begun dialogue with countries in the region.
根据阿拉格齐官方社交媒体账号上关于此次会晤的声明，阿拉格齐向王毅表示，虽然伊朗已准备好抵御“侵略者”，但同时也“欢迎能够保障伊朗民族权利的外交解决方案”。他还说，德黑兰寻求与邻国恢复和平关系，并已开始与该地区国家进行对话。
The meeting between Mr. Wang and Mr. Araghchi, who also met in Beijing days before Mr. Trump’s summit with Mr. Xi in China in May, sends a signal to the White House that Beijing has leverage over Tehran at a time when Mr. Trump appears to be running out of options to bring the war to an end on favorable terms for the United States.
王毅与阿拉格齐的此次会面（两人此前曾在5月特朗普与中国国家主席习近平在北京会晤之前几天会面）向白宫释放了一个信号：在特朗普似乎已无计可施、无法以对美国有利的条件结束这场战争之际，北京对德黑兰拥有影响力。
That influence stems from critical support that China provides to Iran, which China considers its closest strategic partner in the Middle East. Beijing supplies Tehran with technology and raw materials to build missiles and drones, and defied Western sanctions by buying over 90 percent of Tehran’s oil exports before the Strait of Hormuz closed.
这种影响力源于中国向伊朗提供的关键支持，中国将伊朗视为其在中东地区最亲密的战略伙伴。北京向德黑兰提供用于制造导弹和无人机的技术和原材料，并在霍尔木兹海峡关闭前无视西方制裁购买了德黑兰超过90%的石油出口份额。
“China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners,” Mr. Wang said, invoking a phrase Beijing has used for years to describe the countries’ relationship. He added that “China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran to safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” according to the meeting summary.
“中伊两国是全面战略伙伴，”王毅说，他使用了北京多年来描述两国关系的表述。根据会议纪要，他还说：“中国也愿同伊朗加强对话合作，维护好伊朗的正当权益。”
Mr. Wang did not assign blame to any country for the war and urged Iran and the United States to “remain rational and exercise restraint.” He encouraged Tehran to continue dialogue with countries it is fighting directly and indirectly in the Persian Gulf, a region where China has developed close diplomatic ties. And he expressed concern about the escalating conflict in Yemen between the internationally recognized government that is supported by Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
王毅没有将战争的责任归咎于任何国家，并敦促伊朗和美国“保持理性和克制”。他鼓励德黑兰继续与在波斯湾地区直接和间接交战的国家进行对话，中国在该地区已发展了密切的外交关系。他还对也门局势的升级表示关切，该国由沙特阿拉伯支持的国际公认政府与伊朗支持的胡塞武装之间冲突不断升级。
Beijing’s balancing act has recently faced pressure from the United States. Mr. Trump last month threatened, but has so far refrained from imposing, “tremendous economic consequences” on countries that do business with Iran. China would have seemingly been the main target of that effort.
北京的平衡策略最近面临来自美国的压力。特朗普上个月曾威胁要对与伊朗做生意的国家施加“巨大的经济后果”，但迄今为止尚未付诸实施。中国似乎本应是这一举措的主要目标。
Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are scheduled to meet in Washington next week. Iran is expected to feature prominently in discussions between the two sides, along with the potential extension of a U.S.-China trade truce and ways to cooperate on artificial intelligence safety.
特朗普和习近平定于下周在华盛顿会晤。预计伊朗将成为双方讨论的重要议题，此外还包括中美贸易休战的潜在延期，以及在人工智能安全方面的合作途径。