As part of the mediation efforts, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that his country will send its special envoy “soon” to the countries concerned in the Middle East to stop the violence and defuse the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territories and Israel.
On Saturday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that China’s special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met on Friday with representatives of the Arab League in Beijing in an emergency session regarding the crisis in the Gaza Strip, according to what was published by the Chinese newspaper “South China Morning Post”.
In detail, the Chinese Foreign Minister’s statements, which he made during a press conference after his meeting with the European Union’s foreign policy official in Beijing, Josep Borrell, and which were reported by the same newspaper on Saturday, regarding the events of Beijing’s mediation steps:
- We call for the implementation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
- China is an active party in the mediation efforts, and its envoy to the Middle East also spoke with leaders of both sides of the conflict.
- The Palestinian issue is the core of Middle East affairs.
- The basis of what is happening is that justice has not been achieved for the Palestinian people.
- China calls for a more confident and influential international peace conference to formulate a broader consensus based on the two-state solution, as well as to formulate a timetable and roadmap for it.
- Peace negotiations are the key to ending the conflict.
In other statements reported by the South China Morning Post by China’s special envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, he said that his country “condemns behavior that harms innocent civilians” and calls for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
In Zhai Jun’s words, Beijing “has no self-interests in the Palestinian-Israeli issue, but only advocates peace, fairness and justice, sincerely hopes for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, and is willing to work with the international community to promote peace.”
Israeli anger at China
Despite China’s longstanding keenness not to openly criticize any party in this conflict, the statements of Chinese officials raised Israeli objection.
In a statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, on Friday, that it expressed, in a telephone call with the Chinese envoy to the Middle East, its “great disappointment” regarding China’s failure to clearly condemn what it described as “the terrible massacre committed by Hamas,” in reference to the Operation Flood attacks. Al-Aqsa.
Chinese dead
Three Chinese were among about 1,400 killed in Israel as a result of Palestinian attacks.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, there are also several wounded and two missing, calling on the parties concerned to do everything necessary to find the missing people and ensure the peace of Chinese citizens and Chinese institutions.
Mediation expectations
Chinese affairs expert, Mazen Hassan, describes China’s role as “extremely important for resolving the raging conflict.” This is because, despite the casualties among its citizens during it, it “did not attack any party, and played a very balanced role.”
Regarding what Hassan expects from the results of the Chinese mediation, he tells Sky News Arabia:
- There are confirmations that China has already communicated with Hamas leaders; Because it is an important part of the conflict, and this may be a reason for the process of releasing prisoners or exchanging prisoners.
- China believes that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the framework of the two-state solution is the only way for Israel to achieve security and peace.
- I expect visits by Chinese officials soon to meet with the leaders of Palestine and Israel.
- China and Russia are the only major countries that have expressed a balanced position towards both sides of the conflict, but they also hold Israel responsible for the worsening of the situation as a result of its freezing of the Palestinian issue.
- So China can play an important role; Because Russia is isolated as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
- Since China’s success in restoring relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, last March, and its efforts to stop the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Beijing’s name has been raised among potential trustworthy mediators in a number of regional and international conflict files.
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