The People’s Republic of China’s history of relations with Israel and Palestine is quite extensive and has been seen as a model relationship in part thanks to the numerous economic agreements the Asian giant has in the region, but, until now, it has never presented itself as a candidate mediator in the conflict between the two states. However, Beijing’s eagerness to achieve a certain stability between its partners, a sine qua non for the Chinese when it comes to reaching agreements, and motivated by the successes of the Iranian-Saudi restoration, has motivated the Asian giant to promote peace between the Hebrews and Palestinians.
Although there is no sign of rapprochement between the two, and Israel counts the United States as its main partner, Chinese interference is considered complicated. Moreover, the incessant rejections by Palestinians and Israelis over the years of possible rapprochement through European, Russian or UN intervention reflect the complexity of the geopolitical chessboard movement that China seeks to achieve.
The genesis of China’s attempts to bring stability to the region stems from a closed-door phone call with the Israeli and Palestinian sides on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Palestinian-Asian relations. Both calls, conducted separately, were fruitful for all sides and involved the Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers, Eli Cohen and Riad al-Maliki, respectively.
China, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency, is urging both Israel and the Palestinians to show “political courage and take steps to resume peace talks”, and Beijing’s executive is ready to help, said China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement received by Al-Ain News that China is ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace in the region. US-brokered peace talks to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, have been stalled for nearly a decade and show no signs of reviving.
Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Comprehensive Security Initiative and China believes that the key to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian problem lies in upholding the common security vision, Qin said. China has no selfish interests in the Israel-Palestine issue and only hopes that Israel and Palestine can coexist peacefully and safeguard regional peace and stability. Xi Jinping, who launched the Global Security Initiative, said China believes that the key to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue is to maintain a common security vision. At the same time, he clarified that China has no vested interest in the Israeli-Palestinian issue and only hopes that Israel and Palestine will coexist peacefully and ensure peace and stability in the region.
#China encourages both #Israel and #Palestine to show political courage and take steps to resume peace talks, and China is ready to provide convenience for this, Chinese State Councilor and FM #QinGang said in a phone call with Israeli FM Eli Cohen yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ELbYfqBLh7
Cohen praised China’s commitment, but noted in the conversation that Israel is giving more priority to “the threat of an Iranian nuclear programme”, a fear shared by many countries in the region, including those that have diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, The Times of Israel reported.
On the other hand, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Prime Minister Al-Maliki thanked China for its diplomatic support in various international forums and expressed that he “supports China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. However, in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied knowing anything about China’s plans to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I am not aware of any specific offer of that kind. We respect China and we are close to Beijing. But we know that we have an indispensable ally in our great friend, the United States,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the same interview, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “We want peace with Saudi Arabia because we believe it will be another big step towards peace”. “This will mostly end the Arab-Israeli conflict and pave the way for more diplomacy with the Palestinians,” he concluded.
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