Xi urges ceasefire in Gaza, stresses two-state solution

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday attended the BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, saying it is imperative that the parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately.
Xi called on the parties to stop all violence and attacks against civilians, release civilians held captive, and act to prevent loss of more lives and spare people from more miseries. Xi said humanitarian corridors must be kept secure and unimpeded, and more humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza.
He said the international community must act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spilling over and endangering stability in the Middle East as a whole. He emphasized that the only viable way to break the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the two-state solution, in the restoration of the legitimate national rights of Palestine, and in the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
China calls for early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace and work toward an early solution to the question of Palestine that is comprehensive, just and sustainable, Xi said.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Monday respectively sent congratulatory letters to the 10th meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia.
In his congratulatory letter, Xi extended warm congratulations on the convening of the meeting. He said that at present, changes unseen in a century are unfolding at an ever faster pace and the world has entered a new period of disorder and transformation. China-Russia relations have withstood the severe test of changes in the international landscape, maintained a high level of development, set an example of a new model of major-country relations, and played a more prominent strategic role in achieving global stability and development.
Noting that next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi said China is ready to work with Russia to grasp the general trend of history, firmly develop relations featuring permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation, and vigorously promote the development and revitalization of both countries to inject more stability and positive energy into the world. –Agencies