US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told the UN Security Council that he will work with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to ensure that the Israel-Gaza war does not escalate into a wider conflict.
"The members of this council, and the permanent members in particular, have a special responsibility to prevent the spread of this conflict," said Blinken.
Wang is scheduled to visit the US on Thursday. Although the purpose of his visit is to set the stage for an official trip by China's leader Xi Jinping next month, the crisis in the Middle East is widely expected to be on the agenda, Reuters reports.
China's special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, has already visited several countries in the Middle East with the aim of brokering a ceasefire.
China's growing influence in the region was evident earlier this year when it brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the rivals agreed to restore ties and held their first official talks since 2016.