China pushed back against the United States in its speech ​at the UN General Assembly on Saturday (September 26, 2026), saying sovereignty of ⁠countries in the Gulf should be respected and urging the “relevant country” to stop threatening Cuba and lift its blockade on it.

Vice-President Han Zheng did not ‌mention the U.S. by name in his remarks. The U.S. has launched a pressure campaign on Cuba that has largely ‌blocked oil from reaching the island. The U.S. war on Iran ‌started ⁠with U.S.-Israeli strikes in February.

The comments stood in sharp ⁠contrast to the bonhomie on display earlier this week at the White House, where President Donald Trump feted Chinese leader Xi Jinping with military flyovers and at a lavish ​state dinner.

“Major countries should have ‌special responsibilities for safeguarding international peace and security, and they should take the lead in complying with the rules, upholding rule of law, and doing what’s right,” Mr. Han said.

“China holds that the sovereignty and ‌security of countries in the Middle East, including the Gulf, ​should be respected.”

Mr. Trump warned Mr. Xi against providing support to Iran during the Washington talks and received assurances that China ⁠would not do so, the U.S. ambassador to China said on Friday (September 25, 2026).

The warning followed reports that Beijing had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile ‌launchers and that Tehran had found ways to evade sanctions on its oil sales with Chinese help.

Call for end of blockade on Cuba

On Cuba, Mr. Han said: “China urges the relevant country to immediately stop using threat of force against Cuba and immediately and completely lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba.”

Cuba’s electrical grid suffered a total collapse earlier this month, ‌plunging the nation into darkness and leaving millions without power as the U.S. presses ​its blockade.

Cuba’s aging power generation system has been under severe strain from fuel shortages and decrepit infrastructure for years, but ⁠a U.S.-imposed oil blockade that began in January has worsened blackouts and ⁠led to frequent grid collapses.

Mr. Han also used the speech to portray China as a reliable partner on the global stage ‌and a steadfast defender of developing nations. “China holds that all countries, big or small, are equal members of the international community, and ​that world affairs should be handled by all through consultation.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Monday (May 25, 2026), state media reported, as diplomatic efforts by several countries to formally end the Iran war drag on.

The high-level meeting, reported by state news agency Xinhua, followed Mr. Sharif’s talks earlier in the day with Premier Li Qiang, the country’s number-two leader.

Mr. Sharif is accompanied on his trip to China by Army Chief Asim Munir, Islamabad’s key negotiator between the United States and Iran, Pakistan television showed on Monday (May 25, 2026).

Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the United States and Iran, hosting historic face-to-face talks last month that failed to yield a lasting agreement.

China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings with officials of affected Gulf countries.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Mr. Munir, Mr. Sharif said “the world is passing through a critical moment”, Pakistan’s state-run PTV channel showed.

“Pakistan has played a sincere role to mediate between U.S. and Iran. Field marshal was in Tehran and did not want to miss this great visit,” Mr. Sharif said.

“Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China’s support to promote peace.”

Mr. Sharif kicked off his four-day official visit to China in Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday (May 23, 2026).

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It follows a visit by Mr. Munir to Tehran on Friday (May 22, 2026) and Saturday (May 23, 2026) alongside Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of ongoing mediation efforts to end the war.

China has said it would work with Pakistan to “make positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East”.

Pakistan hosted in April the only direct negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials to take place since the war began.

Mr. Munir was at the centre of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying bonhomie with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.

But the talks ultimately failed, with Iran accusing the United States of making “excessive demands”.