China’s Foreign Minister In Egypt Calls For Gaza Ceasefire, Palestinian Statehood

In a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, the top Chinese diplomat said “it is necessary to insist on the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital.”

A joint statement from the two ministers urged an immediate end “to all acts of violence, killing and targeting of civilians and civilian establishments”.

Wang additionally discussed the conflict with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Chinese state media Xinhua, with both sides agreeing a ceasefire “should be achieved as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from further spilling over.”

Israel launched an intense military campaign in response to Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

In Gaza, at least 23,968 people have been killed, the majority of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory.

Shoukry and Wang called for “an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the (Israeli) occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state.”

The Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, seat of the Palestinian Authority, are separated by Israeli territory. Both were seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, although Israel unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously called for an “international peace conference” to resolve the fighting.

China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wang is currently on an African tour that will see him also visit Togo, Tunisia and Ivory Coast. — AFP