Chinese military to hold talks with EU, NATO in Brussels next week: Report

ISTANBUL

A delegation from the Chinese military will hold talks with the EU and NATO in Brussels next week amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, according to a media report.

The EU-China security and defense consultations are scheduled to take place next Tuesday, the daily South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.

It added that the talks between the officials of NATO and those from the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take place the same week.

No official confirmation from either side has been announced yet.

The military talks between the two sides come amid a Middle East crisis triggered by the US and Israel's joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which Tehran says killed about 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top security chief Ali Larijani.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route handling about 20 million barrels per day and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade, disrupting global energy markets.