China and Pakistan Unveil Five-Point Peace Plan Calling for Immediate Ceasefire and Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

China and Pakistan have proposed a five-point plan to end the Iran war — the first time a major global power has laid out a concrete pathway to peace. The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the start of peace talks, an end to strikes on civilian infrastructure, restoration of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and a comprehensive peace framework based on the UN Charter.

For five weeks the world has waited for someone — anyone — to propose a credible plan to end this war. On Tuesday, China and Pakistan stepped forward. Their five-point peace initiative, announced after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, is the first structured proposal from a major global power since the conflict began on February 28.

The five points

The plan is straightforward, which is either its greatest strength or its greatest weakness:

First: an immediate cessation of hostilities, with humanitarian assistance allowed to all war-affected areas. Second: the start of peace talks “as soon as possible” under the principle of safeguarding the independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states, with all parties committing to refrain from the use or threat of force during negotiations. Third: an immediate halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure — energy facilities, desalination plants, power stations, and nuclear installations. Fourth: the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fifth: a comprehensive peace framework based on multilateralism and the “primacy” of the UN Charter.

Why it matters

Until now, the diplomatic landscape has been barren. The G7 split over the war. The UN Security Council deadlocked on rival resolutions. Turkey offered mediation but lacked leverage. Pakistan served as a message-carrier between Washington and Tehran but had no framework to offer.

China changes that equation. Beijing is Iran’s largest oil customer and a permanent member of the Security Council. It has economic leverage over Tehran that no other mediator possesses. And unlike Washington, it has maintained relations with both sides throughout the conflict.

Pakistan adds its own weight. Islamabad shares a border with Iran, hosts the only confirmed backchannel between Washington and Tehran, and has the diplomatic credibility of a Muslim-majority nation that has stayed neutral.

Will it work?

The plan has obvious limitations. It does not address Iran’s nuclear programme, which Israel considers an existential threat. It does not require Iran to dismantle the Hormuz blockade infrastructure before talks begin — only to allow “early and safe passage,” which Tehran could interpret as its existing policy of permitting “non-hostile” vessels. And it makes no mention of Hezbollah, the Houthis, or the broader network of Iranian proxies whose dismantlement Washington has demanded.

Trump’s response has been dismissive. He told allies to “TAKE” the strait themselves rather than negotiate over it. But the plan gives the international community something it has lacked since February 28: a piece of paper with five numbered points that both sides can accept, reject, or amend. In diplomacy, that is called a starting position. And after five weeks of nothing, a starting position is progress.