China’s Middle East envoy will arrive later today in the United Arab Emirates, Beijing’s foreign ministry said, continuing a visit to the region aimed at “cooling down” the Israel-Hamas war, AFP reports.

He will land in the UAE today and will take part in a symposium on China-UAE relations, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Zhai then “plans to continue to visit the Middle East to strengthen coordination with relevant parties on promoting a ceasefire, stopping the violence, and cooling down the situation,” Mao said.