Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed on Wednesday that his country work towards finding a comprehensive and fair settlement for the Palestinian cause. This statement was made during a meeting between the Chinese president and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing, as reported by the Chinese newspaper "Global Times".
Xi stated, "China is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with Palestine to promote an early, comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement for the Palestinian issue." Abbas arrived in China on Tuesday for a four-day visit.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced that the Chinese president held a "grand welcoming ceremony for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas." She tweeted that "the Chinese president held talks with President Abbas, during which he emphasized that China and Palestine are close friends and good partners who trust and support each other."
Hua added, "China has always strongly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights."
Last Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin described Abbas as a "longtime close friend" of the Chinese people. Recently, China has shown growing interest in regional issues, in a clear challenge to the United States.
State media reported that Xi reiterated China's support for the Palestinian Authority's bid for full membership at the United Nations and stated that Beijing would continue to support the Palestinian side in multilateral forums. The United States opposes Palestinian full membership at the United Nations unless a peace agreement with Israel is reached. Full membership requires a vote in the UN Security Council, where the United States, like China, has veto power.
In March, China facilitated a Saudi-Iranian agreement that allowed for the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the reopening of embassies after years of severance. China was among the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine, establishing formal diplomatic relations with Palestine in November 1988, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website. In May 1965, the Palestine Liberation Organization established an office that was treated as a diplomatic mission in Beijing.
