China's Wang Yi tells Israel to stop 'forced establishment' of West Bank settlements
China's foreign minister told Israel's president in Azerbaijan to halt and reverse West Bank settlement building, calling the Palestinian question the century's greatest injustice.
At a glance
- China's Wang Yi told Israel's Herzog to stop and reverse the 'forced establishment' of West Bank settlements.
- Wang said the Palestinian question is this century's greatest historical injustice and backed a two-state solution.
- He said fully opening access to Gaza is the immediate priority to prevent a humanitarian 'catastrophe'.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a meeting in Azerbaijan that Israel should stop and reverse its "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements, China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The statement said Wang described the Palestinian question as the greatest historical injustice of this century. He said the "two-state solution" is the right path to a resolution and that the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so that a humanitarian "catastrophe" is not allowed to spread.
Wang added that China is willing to work with the international community to push all parties to return to dialogue as soon as possible and seek a political settlement.
Baku summit
Wang is attending the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, as the special representative of President Xi Jinping, according to China's state news agency Xinhua.
Wider regional push
Wang's remarks come as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the Middle East. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Cairo for the first time in a decade and called on Middle East countries to oppose external influence and consider reshaping the region's security order.
That visit took place while the US-Israel war on Iran was under way. According to a statement from the spokesperson of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the talks covered the war, with both presidents urging "diplomatic solutions" to reach a "comprehensive agreement to end the war".
In March, China criticised US and Israeli attacks on Iran and demanded an immediate halt to the joint attacks. Wang told his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, that the attack on Iran came as negotiations between Washington and Tehran had "made significant progress, including addressing Israel's security concerns", China's foreign ministry said in a statement following the start of the war.
China was Iran's largest trading partner, buying up to 90 percent of its oil, according to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. In 2021, Beijing signed a 25-year "comprehensive strategic partnership agreement" with Tehran.
At the same time, Beijing has spent the past decade cultivating closer ties with Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and remains a top trade partner of both the US and Israel.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What did China tell Israel about West Bank settlements?
- China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse the "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements, according to China's foreign ministry.
- What is China's position on the two-state solution?
- Wang said the "two-state solution" is the right path to a resolution and that the immediate priority is fully opening access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian catastrophe is not allowed to spread.
- What are China's ties with Iran?
- China was Iran's largest trading partner, buying up to 90 percent of its oil, according to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. In 2021 the two signed a 25-year "comprehensive strategic partnership agreement".
