Chinese FM calls for int'l peace conference to settle Palestinian issue

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry jointly meet the press after their talks in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 14, 2024. Wang is on a visit to Egypt. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

CAIRO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called for the convening of a more comprehensive, authoritative and effective international peace conference to formulate a road map for implementing the two-state solution to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, issued the call during a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

He expressed China's support for the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as soon as possible, the final realization of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel, and the harmonious coexistence of Arab and Jewish peoples.

China has always aligned itself with international fairness and justice, worked with Arab and Islamic countries to put an end to the conflict and violence, done its best to protect the safety of civilians, and made unremitting efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue at an early date, the top Chinese diplomat said.

Wang also put forward a four-point proposal for resolving the conflict in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

Firstly, the overriding priority now is to end the Gaza conflict as soon as possible. The international community must take immediate action and focus all efforts on achieving a ceasefire, protecting the safety of civilians, and avoiding the loss of more lives.

Secondly, it is a moral responsibility to ensure the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. It is necessary to implement the United Nations Security Council resolution on humanitarian assistance in Gaza and establish a humanitarian relief mechanism as soon as possible to ensure the rapid, safe, barrier-free and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. China has decided to provide the third batch of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Thirdly, the will of the Palestinian people must be fully respected regarding the future arrangements of Gaza. Ceasefire and cessation of war are the fundamental prerequisites for the governance of Gaza. "The Palestinians governing Palestine" is the basic principle for discussing the future of Gaza. Strengthening the power of the Palestinian Authority and supporting Palestine's internal reconciliation is the realistic approach to ensuring "the Palestinians governing Palestine." The international community should listen carefully to the legitimate concerns of regional countries, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip should be an important step toward the two-state solution.

Fourthly, the implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just settlement of the Palestinian issue. The essence of settling the Palestinian issue is to correct historical injustice. Justice must be returned to the Palestinian people as soon as possible, and a political settlement must be achieved in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative by establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. China calls for the convening of a larger, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference to set a specific timetable and formulate a road map for implementing the two-state solution, resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as soon as possible, and ultimately realizing Israeli-Palestinian peaceful coexistence and harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish nations.