"Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday that China would be dispatching a Special Envoy to the Middle East in response to the recent escalation. “The protraction and escalation of the conflict serve no one’s interest. China believes that war and force cannot solve issues once and for all, dialogue and negotiation are the right solutions,” she said during a regular press conference on Thursday in Beijing. “China will continue to work with all parties, including parties to the conflict, to maintain communication, further engage with other parties, and build consensus. China will send Zhai Jun, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue, to the Middle East soon to work actively for the de-escalation of the tensions,” Mao continued. According to the spokesperson, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate phone talks on the diplomatic means to resolve the conflict with his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28. Tehran said it was responding with strikes on Israel and US assets in the region, with explosions reported in countries right across the Gulf region. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed dead in a strike on Saturday. It comes after a number of rounds of talks between the Americans and Iranians. During Thursday’s press conference, Mao also commented on the two separate China-linked espionage cases in the UK and the Philippines. The spokesperson denied China's involvement in both episodes, describing the allegations as ‘misleading public opinion’. “It seems that some people have been enthusiastic about peddling so-called ‘China spy’ narratives. Let me stress that we reject ill-intentioned association and politically motivated presumption of guilt in the absence of detailed information on the case and clear evidence,” she stated.  In the UK on Wednesday, three people were arrested on suspicion of assisting Chinese intelligence services, including the husband of the Labour MP Joani Reid, David Taylor.  Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Philippine National Security Council (NSC) claimed undercover espionage operations in the country, with several Filipino nationals detained for espionage activities on behalf of China."