China welcomes US-Iran ceasefire, says it also made 'efforts' to halt fighting

China on Wednesday welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire, saying that Beijing also made "efforts" to halt the fighting.

Beijing welcomed efforts made by the Pakistani side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a routine news conference in Beijing, in response to a question by Anadolu.

China "advocates for a ceasefire and resolving the conflict through political means to achieve long term stability in the Gulf and Middle East region," Mao said. Beijing "made its own effort in this regard," she added.

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

The announcement came less than two hours before a deadline Trump had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face what he described as the destruction of “an entire civilization.”