This "old friend" of China will visit Mahmoud Abbas | Palestine | China
According to the Qatari Al Jazeera website on June 9th, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will make a state visit to China next week after Beijing expressed its willingness to help promote peace talks between Palestine and Israel.
On June 9th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying stated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will conduct a state visit to China from June 13th to 16th.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the regular press conference that President Abbas is an old and good friend of the Chinese people.
Wang Wenbin said, "He is the first Arab head of state received by the Chinese side this year, fully reflecting the high level of friendly relations between China and Pakistan."
"China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people's restoration of their legitimate national rights."
During this time, he met with Abbas and promised that "China will continue to make unremitting efforts to promote a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible.".
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had phone conversations with the Foreign Ministers of Palestine and Israel. Qin Gang told Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Maliki that China supports the resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel as soon as possible based on the "two-state solution" and is willing to play an active role in this regard.
The report states that Beijing positions itself as a mediator in the Middle East, and for decades, the United States has been the main power broker in the region.
In March of this year, China facilitated the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, long-term competitors in the Gulf region. Some analysts believe this is a broader sign that the global order is changing. The report states that China's efforts have sparked dissatisfaction from Washington.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia this week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Riyadh was not forced to make a choice between Washington and Beijing. After tensions with this long-term ally, he adopted a conciliatory tone.
According to the website of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong on June 9th, as Beijing continues to strengthen its relations with the Middle East, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit China next week. Abbas last visited China in 2017.
The report also stated that as Washington refocuses its attention on the Indo Pacific region and Ukraine, Beijing has strengthened its mediation efforts in the Middle East. In March of this year, China helped facilitate the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Last month, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, stated that since the beginning of this year, Israel has been continuously promoting unilateral actions in approving returns, building new settlements, and legalizing settlements. China urges Israel to immediately stop these actions.
Geng Shuang said, "China will continue to firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people's restoration of their legitimate national rights."
The report states that in the past decade, Beijing has been seeking to expand its influence in the Middle East.
He pointed out that the establishment of an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and full sovereignty is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and a key to resolving the Palestinian issue. The top priority is to take practical measures such as suspending settlement construction. The international community should provide important guarantees for advancing the peace process and increase assistance to Palestine in areas such as human resources training and economic development.
Subsequently, multiple talks were held around the peace between Palestine and Israel, and Beijing's Middle East envoy increased his mediation efforts.
