China said on Monday that preventing escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a pressing priority and urged both sides to implement an immediate ceasefire and return to the “negotiating table at an early date”.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing that Beijing’s special envoy for Afghan affairs, Yue Xiaoyong, conducted a week-long shuttle diplomacy mission from March 7 to 14, meeting top officials in both Kabul and Islamabad.

“The pressing priority is to prevent the escalation of the conflict and return to the negotiating table at an early date,” Lin Jian said.