The war in the Middle East should never have occurred, and the international community, especially least developed countries, must not be made to bear the cost, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday.

Guo made the remarks after the International Monetary Fund lowered its global economic growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1 percent in the World Economic Outlook report published on Tuesday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Guo said the report showed that the conflict in the Middle East had not only caused enormous casualties and losses, but also produced severe spillover effects, weighing on global economic growth and improvements in people's livelihoods.

Guo emphasized that the pressing priority is to prevent a resumption of hostilities, restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, and bring back peace and stability to the Gulf region, so as to prevent a greater shock to the global economy and energy security, and avert an escalating humanitarian crisis.