China’s foreign ministry released a statement Sunday calling for an “immediate ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel along with the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
Hamas has made steady incursions into Israeli territory surrounding the Gaza Strip, killing civilians from more than 20 countries. As of Wednesday afternoon, the death toll in Israel has been reported at upwards of 1,200.
The official statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads:
“China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel. We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation.
“The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot go on. The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine.
“The international community needs to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace. China will continue to work relentlessly with the international community towards that end.”
Zhang Jun, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, expressed Beijing’s endorsement of a two-state solution ahead of a Security Council meeting on Sunday that failed to produce a joint statement on the matter, according to international news network RT.
The Israeli embassy in China highlighted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that one of the women whose capture by Hamas was widely seen on social media was of half-Chinese heritage, having been born in Israel.
In another post, the Israeli embassy said in Chinese [translation provided by Google], “We are grateful to all countries around the world that stand with Israel, and we have the right to take action against Hamas for murdering and kidnapping innocent Israeli people. We also hope that China can provide solidarity and support to Israel at this difficult moment.”
China increasingly has weighed in on Middle East conflicts where traditionally outside influencers were limited to the U.S. and European countries. China recently brought together regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia to restart diplomatic relations, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
