The five-point peace initiative that China and Pakistan published on Tuesday -- calling for an immediate ceasefire, peace talks, protection of civilian infrastructure, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and respect for the UN Charter -- has produced expressions of interest from Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia [1]. It has not produced a response from Washington.

As the paper noted Wednesday, the plan's strength was its deliberate simplicity: no blame, no nuclear demands, stop the shooting first [2]. But simplicity requires a counterpart willing to engage. The United States has not acknowledged the framework publicly. The State Department has not commented on it. The White House, asked about the plan at a briefing this week, pivoted to Trump's April 6 deadline for Iran [3].

The BBC's analysis on Thursday asked the question directly: can China play peacemaker? The answer, so far, is that peacemaking requires at least two willing parties, and the party doing the bombing has not picked up the phone [4]. Meanwhile, Iran's IRGC continues to tighten control of Hormuz transit, requiring approval for passage and collecting tolls of up to $2 million per tanker -- building the infrastructure of a permanent blockade while diplomats draft proposals no one reads.

The five points remain on the table. The chairs remain empty.

-- David Chen, Beijing