China’s leader, Xi Jinping, said on Tuesday that the world cannot risk reverting “to the law of the jungle,” a thinly veiled criticism of the United States, in his most direct public comments on the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

中国领导人习近平周二表示，不能让世界倒回“丛林法则”，这是他就美以对伊战争最直接的公开评论，措辞中隐晦地批评了美国。

“Maintaining the authority of international rule of law means not using it when it suits us and abandoning it when it doesn’t,” he said in a meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in Beijing.

“维护国际法治权威，不能‘合则用、不合则弃’，”他在北京会见阿布扎比王储时说道。

Mr. Xi’s remarks, in addition to meetings and calls held by senior Chinese officials in recent days, suggest that Beijing is playing a more active role in trying to build on the two-week cease-fire that the United States and Israel struck with Iran last week. China is also heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz for oil, where Iran has restricted shipping for weeks and where the United States has begun enforcing a blockade aimed at choking off Iranian oil income.

习近平的这番表态，加上中国高级官员近期所进行的一系列会晤与通话，表明中国正试图在巩固上周美以与伊朗达成的两周停火方面发挥更积极的作用。中国也高度依赖霍尔木兹海峡的石油运输，而伊朗已在该海峡限制航运数周，美国则在此地开始实施旨在切断伊朗石油收入的封锁。

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on Monday called on his counterpart in Pakistan to help “preserve the hard-won momentum” of talks it hosted over the weekend between the United States and Iran that failed to produce a peace agreement. During a meeting with the United Arab Emirates’ special envoy for China affairs, Mr. Wang also said that Beijing was pushing for a return to peace in the region.

中国外交部长王毅周一呼吁巴基斯坦外长协助“保持来之不易停火势头”，即上周末在巴基斯坦举行的美伊会谈，尽管该会谈未能达成和平协议。在会见阿联酋总统中国事务特使时，王毅还表示，北京正在推动该地区恢复和平安宁。

While China has condemned the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, it has also tried to maintain a neutral stance as it balances its partnership with Tehran and manages tensions with the United States. President Trump is set to visit Beijing in May, where he is expected to discuss extending a truce in the U.S.-China trade war.

尽管中国谴责了美以对伊战争，但在平衡与德黑兰的伙伴关系以及管控与美国的紧张关系之间，中国也试图保持中立立场。特朗普总统预计将于5月访问北京，届时可能讨论延长中美贸易战的停火协议。

Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, said that as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has deepened, China has adopted a more active posture diplomatically. As much as 40 percent of China’s oil imports are shipped through the waterway.

上海外国语大学中东研究所丁隆教授表示，随着霍尔木兹海峡危机加深，中国在外交上采取了更为积极的姿态。中国高达40%的石油进口要经由该水道运输。

“Fundamentally it’s about the cessation of hostilities as soon as possible. This is the key,” he said. “It’s about giving peace talks a chance, and China is willing to play a greater role.”

“从根本上说，就是要尽快实现停火，这是关键，”他说。“就是要给和谈一个机会，而中国愿意发挥更大的作用。”