Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Beijing comes as China plays a bigger role in the Middle East to counter US influence.
President Xi Jinping says China stands behind the Palestinian struggle for statehood as Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas arrived for a three-day visit.
The Palestinian leader was received with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.
“We are good friends and partners,” Xi told Abbas at the start of their meeting. “We have always strongly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights.”
Xi made the comments as China reframes a greater role in the Middle East to remove US influence there while seeking to facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
One solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies in the establishment of an “independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state media, reiterating a UN Security Council Resolution of 1967 which Israel rejects.
Abbas said his administration was “hoping to strengthen cooperation with China” and secure investment.
“We especially appreciate the Chinese side’s commitment to finance a series of development projects put forward by Palestine. We wish the speedy dispatch of technical delegations to implement these projects,” Abbas said.
‘Fair and lasting solution’
Xi called China’s “strategic partnership” with Palestine an “important milestone in the history of bilateral relations.”
Beijing has long maintained diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority and since Abbas’s last visit in 2017 has spoken of its ability to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill since 2014.
Beijing has sought to bolster its influence in the Middle East, helping negotiate a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March, while challenging long-standing US influence in the region.
Xi traveled to Saudi Arabia in December for the first China-Arab States Summit. He also met with Abbas and vowed to “work for an early, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian problem.”
iranian president Ebrahim RaisiMeanwhile, he was in Beijing in February, the first Iranian leader to visit China in 30 years.
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