Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on an official visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

During the daylong visit, Dar is scheduled to hold talks with Wang aimed at reviewing bilateral relations and enhancing strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China, officials said.

Discussions are expected to cover regional and global issues of mutual interest.

China’s foreign ministry said earlier that the two sides would strengthen coordination on the situation in Iran.

“The two foreign ministers will strengthen strategic communication and coordination on the Iran situation and … make new efforts toward advocating for peace,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference in Beijing. She described China and Pakistan as “all-weather” strategic partners.

Dar’s visit comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 that triggered ongoing fighting.

On Sunday, Dar hosted his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey in Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war, Pakistani officials said.

China and Pakistan have both sought to mediate to prevent the conflict from escalating. Islamabad has said it is ready to host “meaningful talks” between the United States and Iran.

Concerns have grown over the impact of the fighting, including potential disruption to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

China is a key partner of Iran but has not announced military assistance to Tehran. Beijing has repeatedly called for a ceasefire.

Tehran has not acknowledged holding official talks with Washington but has conveyed a response to President Donald Trump’s reported 15-point plan to end the war through Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Pakistan is one of China’s closest partners in the region. However, Beijing has also called for “calm and restraint” in Pakistan’s own conflict with Afghanistan.

A Chinese special envoy spent a week mediating between Islamabad and Kabul, China’s foreign ministry said this month.