President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that China was “deeply saddened” by the “extremely serious” situation in Gaza, as Beijing hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and several other Arab leaders.
Talks between Xi, Sisi and other Arab dignitaries in China this week aim to build consensus between Beijing and Arab countries, as well as present a “common voice” on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
China has good relations with Israel but has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and has campaigned for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused a large number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely serious. China is deeply grieved,” Xi told Sisi in Beijing, according to state television ‘CCTV status.
“The priority task at present is an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid a spread of the conflict, an impact on regional peace and stability, and in order to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis,” he said. Xi said.
Egypt, alongside Qatar and the United States, has been engaged for months in talks aimed at securing a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas, accompanied by the release of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group.
“China appreciates the important role played by Egypt in calming the situation and providing humanitarian assistance,” Xi said.
He said China was ready to work with Egypt to continue helping the people of Gaza “and to promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
– Big ceremony –
Xi met Sissi in a grand ceremony outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Wednesday afternoon, state media footage showed, with the two countries’ national anthems blaring.
The Egyptian presidency said the discussions would “focus on ways to forge closer bilateral relations and open up broader prospects for cooperation in a range of areas.”
Beijing has sought closer ties with Arab states in recent years and last year brokered détente between Tehran and its longtime foe Saudi Arabia.
Beijing also hosted rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah last month for “in-depth and frank talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is among the delegates attending the forum, along with a host of other regional leaders and diplomats.
Xi is set to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony on Thursday, Beijing said, aiming to build a “common consensus” between China and Arab states.
One of the priorities will be the war between Israel and Hamas, for which Xi has called for an “international peace conference”.
– ‘Strategic opportunity’ –
China sees a “strategic opportunity to strengthen its reputation and position in the Arab world” by framing its efforts to end the conflict against American inaction, Ahmed Aboudouh, associate researcher at the Middle East program, told AFP and North Africa from Chatham House.
“This, in turn, serves Beijing’s goal of undermining U.S. credibility and influence in the region.”
“The longer the war, the easier it is for China to pursue this goal,” he said.
Israel’s military continued its campaign to defeat Hamas in the war sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s Oct. 7 attack, despite a global outcry that intensified after a deadly strike that torched a crowded camp on Sunday.
The strike sparked a fire that Gaza officials said killed 45 people and injured around 250.
The Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 left 1,189 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-controlled territory’s health ministry.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his counterparts from Yemen and Sudan in Beijing on Tuesday, saying he hoped to “strengthen solidarity and coordination” with the Arab world.
He also raised with his Yemeni counterpart Shayea Mohsen al-Zindani China’s concerns over disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iran-backed Houthi forces acting in solidarity with Hamas.
“China calls for ending harassment of civilian ships and ensuring the safety of Red Sea waterways,” the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xinhua News Agency as saying.
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