By He Yin, A strong voice was made to safeguard peace and justice regarding the Palestinian question at the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) held in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2024.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the conference, expounding on China’s position on the Palestinian question.
The conference adopted a China-Arab states joint statement on the Palestinian issue, which demonstrates the important consensus of the two sides in ending the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and promoting a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question.
Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated drastically, throwing the people into tremendous sufferings. At the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial conference of the CASCF, Xi stressed that war should not continue indefinitely, and justice should not be absent forever, and commitment to the two-State solution should not be wavered at will.
The China-Arab states joint statement on the Palestinian issue adopted by the conference expresses deep concerns of China and Arab states over the prolonged conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.
It emphasizes the firm stance of the two sides in promoting a ceasefire in Gaza, ensuring humanitarian aid, opposing forced displacement of Palestinian people, supporting Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations (UN), and steadfastly working toward an early resolution of the Palestinian question based on the two-State solution.
Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Palestine’s minister of state for foreign affairs and expatriates, said the statement is conducive to strengthening the international community’s support for the just cause of Palestine, and reflected China’s position on the Palestinian question.
History has repeatedly shown that the recurrent Palestine-Israel problem is rooted essentially in the failure of actual enforcement of relevant UN resolutions, in the continued erosion of the foundation for the two-State solution, and the deviation of the Middle East peace process.
Restoring justice to the Palestinian people and fully implementing the two-State solution is the only way to break the vicious circle of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, to eliminate the breeding ground of extremist ideologies, and to realize enduring peace in the Middle East.
The two-State solution is the only realistic path to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with granting Palestine full UN membership being an important step toward this goal. China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. It supports a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference.
The National, a daily newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, said in an editorial that the words from Chinese President Xi Jinping, delivered at the CASCF in Beijing, not only align with the position of the many senior Arab leaders in attendance, but will resonate with millions of people across the Middle East.
Since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China has maintained close communication and coordination with the Arab countries, built broad-based consensus with relevant parties in the international community, and promoted the comprehensive ceasefire with the greatest sense of urgency.
China attaches great importance to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and has provided multiple batches of emergency humanitarian assistance to Gaza through bilateral and multilateral channels. China will continue to provide support and emergency humanitarian assistance to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support post-conflict reconstruction.
Chinese representatives have made multiple visits to regional countries and attended relevant international peace conferences to mediate among different parties.
As the rotating president of the UN Security Council for November 2023, China pushed for the adoption of the first resolution after the current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, and issued the Position Paper of the People’s Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, actively promoting the UN Security Council to take meaningful and responsible actions.
China actively supports all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation through dialogue and consultation and firmly supports “the Palestinians governing Palestine.” This year, China has issued joint statements with Egypt and other Arab countries, the General Secretariat of the Arab League, and France to build consensus in promoting the resolution of the Palestinian question.
The leaders from Arab countries attending the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial conference of the CASCF highly praised China’s fair and just stance on the Palestinian question. They said they are willing to closely collaborate with China in efforts to alleviate the tense situation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, help Palestinians establish an independent state, and promote a comprehensive, just settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.
The current situation in Gaza is unsustainable. An unconditional and immediate ceasefire is an international consensus. Improvement of humanitarian conditions on the ground is an urgent imperative.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China will continue to stand in solidarity with Arab states. China will speak up and stand up for justice, and push for the early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question.
