Mao Ning: On November 20, the delegation of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited China. The delegation also included Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Palestine and Indonesia and Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Vice President Han Zheng and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met and held talks with the delegation respectively. China highly commends the efforts for peace and the call for justice made by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit and supports the joint ministerial follow-up committee in playing a greater role. The delegation made China its first stop for international mediation, which reflects their trust in China and the tradition of mutual understanding and support between the two sides.
The Chinese side outlined our proposal on addressing the current crisis in Gaza and resolving the Palestinian question: The pressing task now is to fully implement relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly and reach an immediate ceasefire. It is critical to abide by the international law, especially international humanitarian law. China opposes any forced displacement and relocation of Palestinian civilians. Any arrangement concerning the future and destiny of Palestine must be based on the consent of the Palestinian people and accommodate the legitimate concerns of regional countries.
Any potential way to address the current situation must not deviate from the two-state solution and should be conducive to regional peace and stability. The UN Security Council needs to heed the call of Arab and Islamic countries and take responsible actions to deescalate the situation. As this month’s rotating president of the Security Council, China will continue to strengthen coordination with Arab and Islamic countries to build consensus and galvanize more meaningful Security Council action on the situation in Gaza.
The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue. Without a just settlement of the Palestinian question, durable peace and stability will remain elusive for the Middle East.
The foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries spoke highly of China’s long-standing just position on the Palestinian question and commended China’s work as the rotating Security Council president to make possible the first Security Council resolution since the current conflict broke out. They look forward to closer coordination with China to prevent the crisis from spreading and restart the peace talk process. –PR
