Photo: X/soupalestina
Eurasia
20/03/2024 16:39
In a brief statement on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said Wang met Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Sunday and “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues”, without further elaboration, South China Morning Post reported.
The Jerusalem Post, citing Hamas, reported that Haniyeh told the Chinese envoy that the war needed to end quickly. He also said Israel must withdraw its forces from Gaza and an independent Palestinian state should be established.
Wang is the first diplomat China has sent to Palestine and Israel since the war erupted in October. Last week, he visited the West Bank and met the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki. There, he said China was renewing its call for an immediate ceasefire and a “two-state” solution as a political settlement.
Wang also held talks with Hagai Shagrir, head of the Israeli foreign ministry’s Asia and Pacific bureau, and Rachel Feinmesser, the head of the ministry’s policy research centre.
Since the conflict began, China has sought to play a role by releasing its own five-point position paper on the crisis, which urged the United Nations Security Council to draw up a “concrete” timeline and road map for a two-state solution.
Its foreign minister, Wang Yi, last year held separate calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts while other Chinese officials have discussed the situation with various countries in the Middle East.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday reiterated Beijing’s willingness to work with “all parties” to ease mounting tensions and again called for a “two-state” solution.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may hold their first face-to-face since Trump’s return to office, with the APEC summit in South Korea the most likely stage. Trump has linked the meeting to a breakthrough on trade, while Xi has extended an invitation to Beijing, offering both sides a chance to ease mounting strains.
A bipartisan U.S. House delegation led by Rep. Adam Smith will visit China later this month, the first such trip since 2019. Beijing confirmed the plan on Wednesday, with Smith stressing the importance of reviving dialogue between the two powers.
China’s Defense Ministry announced that China, Russia, and Mongolia have held their first-ever joint border defense drills, dubbed Border Defence Cooperation 2025.