WASHINGTON — China proposed a five-point peace plan on the Iran war with Pakistan and began rallying support from Gulf countries, European officials, and other nations for the initiative, intensifying its diplomatic outreach as the conflict entered its sixth week.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to discuss the five-point proposal, which called for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Wang held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers and spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates after the war began. He told Iranian counterparts that China cherished its friendship with Iran and urged Israel to cease military actions.

Wang also sought support for China's plan from European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting the fighting was the most urgent matter. A special envoy from China visited several countries in the region to promote peace and de-escalate tensions.

China opposed a United Nations proposal to authorize the use of force to open the Strait of Hormuz. Wang spoke with Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain China's opposition to Bahrain's U.N. proposal. Wang said that U.N. Security Council actions should aim to ease tensions rather than endorse illegal acts of war or add fuel to the fire. Bahrain subsequently watered down its proposal to authorize defensive action but not offensive action to ensure vessels could safely transit the strait and postponed a U.N. vote until next week. China has maintained that a ceasefire is needed to resolve the problem of the Strait of Hormuz.

Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said, "China has been working 'tirelessly for peace' since the outbreak of the war." Beijing was also working with Tehran to allow the passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and had paid to secure the transit of some of its ships through the waterway.

China relies on Iran for about 13 percent of its oil imports. China is insulated from disruption in the Strait of Hormuz due to diversifying its energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. China also maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve.

Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said, "What we are seeing from China is messaging, not mediation." Russel also said of China's approach: "Its narrative is that while Washington is reckless, aggressive and heedless of the cost to others, China is a principled and responsible champion of peace." He compared China's five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, saying the latter was filled with platitudes and never acted on.

On Friday, Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, the first time Iran had done so since the war began five weeks earlier. President Donald Trump postponed his trip to China, originally set for the end of March, citing demands of the Iran war.