Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will make a state visit to China next week after Beijing expressed readiness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the state of Palestine, will visit China from June 13 to June 16 at President Xi Jinping’s request, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday.
Abbas was described as a “old and good friend of the Chinese people” by Wang Wenbin, another ministry official, during a regular briefing later in the day.
“He is the first Arab head of state received by China this year, fully embodying the high level of China-Palestine good relations, which have traditionally been friendly,” he said. He also stated that “China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights.”
President Xi visited Saudi Arabia in December of last year as part of an outreach to the Arab world. While there, he met with Abbas and made a commitment to “work for an early, just, and durable solution to the Palestinian issue.”
According to Xinhua, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang informed his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts in April that his nation was ready to support peace talks.
According to the report, Qin also informed Riyad al-Maliki of the Palestinian Authority that Beijing encourages the implementation of a “two-state solution” and favours the immediate resumption of negotiations.
China’s Middle East policy
In the Middle East, where the US has long held a dominant position, Beijing has established itself as a mediator.
Longtime Gulf enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia were able to mend fences in March, which some experts interpreted as a harbinger of a “changing global order” more broadly.
Washington has criticised its actions.
In an attempt to ease tensions with the longtime ally, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Riyadh was not being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing during a visit to Saudi Arabia this week.