On October 13, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell jointly met the press after co-chairing the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue.
When asked about the current Palestinian-Israeli situation, FM Wang Yi pointed out that Palestine is now in a critical situation. The ongoing conflict has caused heavy civilian casualties. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. China condemns all acts that harm civilians and opposes any violation of international law.
FM Wang Yi highlighted four priorities that China sees pressing given the severity of the current situation. The first is to stop the fighting as soon as possible, prevent it from spreading endlessly and avoid further deterioration of the situation. Second, it is imperative to observe the international humanitarian law, make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, open up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage as quickly as possible, and prevent a severe humanitarian disaster. Third, relevant countries should stay calm and exercise restraint, take an objective and just position, work for de-escalation of the conflict, and avoid causing an even bigger blow to regional and international security. Fourth, the UN should play its due role in resolving the question of Palestine. The UN Security Council needs to shoulder important responsibilities for this, build international consensus as quickly as possible and take real measures to that end.
FM Wang Yi noted that China is communicating with the relevant parties. China will actively participate in emergency consultations at the UN Security Council and support the call by Secretary General Antonio Guterres for protecting civilians. China will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Gaza Strip and the Palestinian National Authority through the UN.
FM Wang Yi pointed out that the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East issue and a wound that keeps being torn open in today’s world. The root cause of this question lies in the long delay in realizing the dream of an independent State of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people. Israel has the right to statehood, so does Palestine. The Israelis have obtained the safeguards for survival, but who will care about the survival of the Palestinians? The Jewish nation is no longer homeless in the world, but when will the Palestinian nation return to its home? There is no shortage of injustices in the world, but the injustice to Palestine has dragged on for over half a century. The sufferings that plagued generations must not continue. The answer to the question is the two-state solution and an independent State of Palestine. This is how Palestine and Israel could coexist in peace and how the Arabs and Jews could live in harmony. Only when the two-state solution is fully implemented can the Middle East truly enjoy peace and Israel enjoy lasting security. The right way to advance the two-state solution is to resume peace talks as soon as possible. All mechanisms for peace must play a positive role. The Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue will soon visit relevant countries in the region and make active efforts to facilitate a cessation of violence and de-escalate the situation.
In the meantime, China calls for a more authoritative, influential and broad-based international peace conference to be held under the auspices of the UN to build international consensus for peace and work for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine at an early date.
FM Wang Yi stressed that on the question of Palestine, China will continue to stand on the side of peace, on the side of justice, on the side of international law, on the side of shared aspirations of the majority of countries in the world, and on the side of human conscience.
