President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine paid his fifth state visit to the People’s Republic of China, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, between June 13-16, 2023, becoming the first Arab head of state to visit China this year.
China is one of the earliest and most consistent supporters of the Palestinian people’s just struggle for their national rights and an independent state. This year sees the 35th anniversary of the formal establishment of relations between China and Palestine at state level. However, the mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to China was accorded diplomatic status right from when it was first established in Beijing in 1965.
Meeting President Abbas on June 14, President Xi Jinping said China and Palestine are good friends and good partners who trust and support each other. China has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and worked for a comprehensive, just and durable solution of the Palestinian question at an early date.
China supports Palestine in becoming a full member state of the United Nations, will continue to speak up for Palestine and champion justice on multilateral occasions, and will provide assistance as best as it can to help ease humanitarian difficulties and promote reconstruction in Palestine, Xi added.
The Chinese president put forward a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question, stressing that the Palestinian question has remained unresolved for over half a century, causing great sufferings to the Palestinian people; justice must be done to Palestine as soon as possible.
First, the fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said.
Second, Palestine’s economic and livelihood needs should be met, and the international community needs to step up development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Third, it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks. The historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem should be respected. A large-scale, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference should be convened, so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks and contribute tangible efforts to help Palestine and Israel live in peace.
Xi added that: “China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation.”
On behalf of the Palestinian people, Abbas thanked China for its long-term strong support and selfless assistance for the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, calling China a trustworthy friend and partner.
Abbas added that Palestine supports China’s position on issues concerning its core interests and follows the one-China principle, adding that Palestine will work with China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen bilateral cooperation, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Following these talks, a joint statement was released, announcing the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Palestine. According to the statement, the two heads of state, spoke highly of the traditional friendship between China and Palestine, and agreed that they have always trusted and supported each other, and are truly good friends, good partners, and good brothers.
The two sides will continue to firmly support each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns. Palestine firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and resolutely opposes interference by any forces in China’s internal affairs.
China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, stands together with the Palestinian people and makes unremitting efforts to promote an early, comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. China firmly supports the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital; supports the preservation of the historical status quo of the religious holy sites in Jerusalem; supports Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations; supports the strengthening of Palestinian internal unity; and the resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel.
The two sides support the promotion of the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all humanity, respect the independent choice of democratic development path and social and political system suited to their national conditions, resolutely oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, and resolutely oppose any country’s interference in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of democracy and human rights.
President Abbas also met with Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC).
Meanwhile Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, who was accompanying his president. Qin Gang noted that the fact that Abbas is the first Arab leader to visit China this year speaks volumes about the special friendship between the two countries and China’s support for the just cause of Palestine.
Al-Maliki said China is a trustworthy, reliable friend, and Palestine appreciates the proposals put forward by China’s head of state for resolving the Palestinian question.
Shortly before the visit, in an interview with Xinhua, Abbas Zaki, a Central Committee member of Fatah and its Commissioner for Relations with Arab Countries and China, said China and Palestine are “friends closer than brothers.” Fatah is a major Palestinian political party that is also led by President Abbas.
Speaking of the first China-Arab States Summit held late last year, Zaki said it was a milestone in the history of China-Arab relations and would guide the direction for developing them in the new era.
“I am very pleased to see that China has been more involved in Middle East affairs after the China-Arab States Summit last year,” he said, noting that the resumption of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia resulted from the China-proposed Global Security Initiative.
He added that the rapprochement signalled a change in the political landscape in the Middle East and raised awareness of unity and independence among regional countries.
Zaki said Western countries, led by the United States, have destabilized the region. “Iraq, Libya and Syria were destroyed by them, and Sudan is now facing fragmentation.”
The following articles were originally published on the websites of the Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily. The text of the joint statement was machine translated from Chinese and lightly edited by us.
Chinese, Palestinian presidents hold talks
Xinhua, 14 June 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Wednesday.
The two leaders announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Palestine.
Xi said China and Palestine are good friends and good partners who trust and support each other. He said China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine.
China has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and worked for a comprehensive, just and durable solution of the Palestinian question at an early date, Xi said.
China supports Palestine in becoming a full member state of the United Nations, will continue to speak up for Palestine and champion justice on multilateral occasions, and will provide assistance as best as it can to help ease humanitarian difficulties and reconstruction in Palestine, Xi said.
He called on both sides to take the establishment of strategic partnership as an opportunity to continue supporting each other on issues of core concern, advance cooperation in various areas, deepen partnership in jointly building the Belt and Road, speed up negotiations on the China-Palestine free trade agreement, share experiences on national governance and further the traditional friendship.
Xi put forward a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question. Xi stressed that the Palestinian question has remained unresolved for over half a century, causing great sufferings to the Palestinian people; justice must be done to Palestine as soon as possible.
First, the fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital, he said.
Second, Palestine’s economic and livelihood needs should be met, and the international community needs to step up development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine, he said.
Third, it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks. The historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem should be respected, and excessive and provocative words and actions should be avoided. A large-scale, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference should be convened so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks and contribute tangible efforts to help Palestine and Israel live in peace, he said.
“China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks,” Xi said.
Xi said China is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Palestine and other developing countries, enhance coordination in international and regional affairs, advance China’s cooperation with Arab states, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice.
On behalf of the Palestinian people, Abbas thanked China for its long-term strong support and selfless assistance for the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, calling China a trustworthy friend and partner.
Abbas said Palestine supports China’s position on issues concerning its core interests and follows the one-China principle, adding that Palestine will work with China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen bilateral cooperation and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Palestine backs the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, and speaks highly of the China-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Abbas said.
He thanked China for putting forward a number of initiatives on an early and just settlement of the Palestinian question. The Palestinian side believes in China’s wisdom and just position and expects China to play a greater role in promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation and realizing peace in the Middle East.
After their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral economic and technological cooperation.
Prior to the talks, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Abbas in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the State of Palestine on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership
People’s Daily (Chinese), 15 June 2023
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine paid a state visit to China from June 13-16, 2023.
In a cordial and friendly atmosphere, the two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations between China and Palestine and reached broad consensus. The two heads of state spoke highly of the traditional friendship between China and Palestine, and agreed that China and Palestine have always trusted and supported each other, and are truly good friends, good partners and good brothers. It was agreed that China and Palestine should establish a strategic partnership to comprehensively promote friendly cooperation in various fields for the benefit of the people of both sides.
The two sides will continue to firmly support each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns. Palestine firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and resolutely opposes interference by any forces in China’s internal affairs; Reaffirming that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, Palestine resolutely opposes any form of “Taiwan independence”, reaffirms that it does not engage in any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, and supports all efforts made by the Chinese Government to achieve national reunification; firmly supports China’s position on Hong Kong-related issues, supports China’s efforts to safeguard national security under the framework of “one country, two systems”, firmly believes that Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, and strongly condemns the illegal acts of external forces interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs; reiterates that the Xinjiang-related issue is not a human rights issue at all, but an issue of counter-violence, de-radicalization and anti-separatism, the Palestinian side firmly opposes interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of Xinjiang-related issues.
China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, stands together with the Palestinian people and makes unremitting efforts to promote an early, comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. China firmly supports the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital; supports the preservation of the historical status quo of the religious holy sites in Jerusalem; supports Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations; supports the strengthening of Palestinian internal unity; and the resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel on the basis of the principle of land for peace, relevant United Nations resolutions and the two-State solution, so as to realize peaceful Palestinian-Israeli coexistence.
The Palestinian side highly appreciates the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China. The two sides will carry out active cooperation, implement the above initiatives, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
The two sides will continue to promote cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, give full play to the role of the mechanism of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission of the two countries, and actively promote the negotiations on the China-Palestine Free Trade Area. The two countries will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and journalism. China will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine and support Palestine in implementing projects for people’s livelihood and development. It will continue to provide personnel training support to the Palestinian side to help it strengthen its capacity-building. China will continue to provide government scholarships to Palestine and support Palestine in integrating Chinese into the education system. The Palestinian side thanks China for its long-term selfless assistance to Palestine.
The two sides will actively cooperate to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit, carry forward the spirit of China-Arab friendship, and work together to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era.
The two sides will strengthen coordination and cooperation in regional and international affairs, jointly uphold true multilateralism, defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, jointly oppose hegemonism and power politics, and promote the building of a new type of international relations. The two sides support the promotion of the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all humanity, respect the independent choice of democratic development path and social and political system suited to their national conditions, resolutely oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, and resolutely oppose any country’s interference in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of democracy and human rights.
Chinese premier meets Palestinian president
Xinhua, 15 June 2023
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Thursday.
Calling China and Palestine good friends and partners, Li said the announcement by the two countries’ leaders to establish a strategic partnership fully demonstrates China’s staunch support for developing China-Palestine ties and the cause of justice for Palestinian people.
China is ready to take the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Palestine as an opportunity to work for tangible outcomes of their strategic partnership to better benefit the two peoples, Li said.
Noting cooperation in various fields between China and Palestine has witnessed steady progress, Li urged efforts by the two sides to continue firmly supporting each other, continuously promote pragmatic cooperation, speed up the negotiation of a free trade agreement, work for closer people-to-people exchanges, and constantly carry forward their traditional friendship.
China will continue to champion justice and make sustained efforts for a comprehensive, just and durable solution for the Palestinian question, Li added.
Noting Palestine sees China as a close friend, Abbas said the country appreciates China’s strong support for its people’s cause of justice. Palestine firmly supports China’s undertaking of national reunification, and the greater role it plays in international and regional affairs.
Palestine is willing to enhance cooperation with China to jointly work for the resolution of the Palestinian question at an early date, he added.
China’s top legislator meets Palestinian president
Xinhua, 15 June 2023
China’s top legislator Zhao Leji met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Thursday.
Zhao, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said since the establishment of diplomatic ties 35 years ago, China and Palestine have always been good friends, good partners, and good brothers.
The two sides jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership on Wednesday, lifting bilateral relations to a new high, Zhao said, noting that the NPC of China is willing to continue close and friendly exchanges with the Palestinian legislature and contribute to deepening the traditional friendship and advancing practical cooperation between the two countries.
No matter how the international situation changes, China will always firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, he noted.
Abbas appreciated China’s long-term support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and expressed a willingness to continuously deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Chinese FM meets Palestinian counterpart
Xinhua, 13 June 2023
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki in Beijing on Tuesday.
Al-Maliki is accompanying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his state visit to China from June 13 to 16.
President Abbas is the first Arab head of state to be hosted by China this year, which speaks volumes about the special friendship between the two countries and China’s support for the just cause of Palestine, Qin said.
He said he believes the two heads of state will plan the future development of bilateral relations and advance the traditional friendship to a higher level.
China has always firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and will continue to support peace talks between Palestine and Israel and contribute wisdom to resolving the Palestinian question, Qin said.
Al-Maliki said China is a trustworthy, reliable friend, and Palestine appreciates the proposals pushed forward by China’s head of state for resolving the Palestinian question.
He added Palestine follows the one-China policy and will continue to support China on issues concerning China’s core interests.
China elevates ties with Palestine, pledging support
Xinhua, 16 June 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Wednesday, where both announced a strategic partnership between China and Palestine.
Abbas, who kicked off his four-day state visit to China on Tuesday, is the first Arab head of state hosted by China this year.
During their meeting on Wednesday, Xi put forward a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question and voiced China’s support for Palestine in becoming a full member state of the United Nations. He said China stands ready to play a positive role in assisting Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promoting peace talks.
SIGNIFICANT MEETING
This year marks the 35th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Palestine. China is among the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine.
China has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and worked for a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the Palestinian question at an early date, Xi said on Wednesday.
Underscoring the significance of the meeting between the two leaders, Sun Degang, director of Center for Middle Eastern Studies at China’s Fudan University, said China carried out the head of state diplomacy with Palestine in an effort to promote peace and development in the Middle East.
If peace between Palestine and Israel cannot be reached, the Middle East will not have sustainable peace, and regional reconciliation will be gravely jeopardized, he said.
Because of significant disagreements over security, Israeli settlement expansion and establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine have stalled since March 2014.
“After years of marginalization and the Israeli government’s refusal to sit at the negotiating table to revive the peace process, the Palestinians are looking for a different approach from the international community towards finding a serious and quick solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” said Mazen Shamieh, former assistant minister for the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
Strengthening ties with China will help Palestinians internationalize and mobilize more support for their cause, Shamieh said.
FREQUENT HIGH-LEVEL EXCHANGES
China and Palestine are good friends and good partners who trust and support each other, Xi said on Wednesday.
Over the past several years, high-level exchanges between China and Palestine have been frequent.
For 10 consecutive years, Xi has sent congratulatory messages to the special commemorative meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and more than once he put forward China’s proposals for resolving the Palestinian question, stressing the need to resolutely advance a political settlement based on the two-state solution and intensify international efforts for peace.
In July 2017, Abbas awarded the highest Palestinian medal to Xi for China’s support for the just cause of Palestine and to pay homage to Xi himself.
This week’s visit by Abbas is the Palestinian leader’s fifth to China. The Palestinian leader also met Xi during the first China-Arab States Summit held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in December last year.
In addition to high-level exchanges, China has often spoken up for Palestine, championed justice, and provided assistance to help ease humanitarian difficulties and reconstruction in Palestine.
Over the past years, China has completed dozens of assistance projects in Palestine, helping the latter build schools and roads. After the outbreak of COVID-19, China sent medical personnel and vaccines to Palestine to aid in the fight against the pandemic. China also frequently donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Palestine, meanwhile, has adhered to the one-China principle and supported China’s position on issues concerning its core interests.
Ahmed Rafiq Awad, a Ramallah-based political analyst, told Xinhua that China has long been a pivotal and balanced country committed to international resolutions regarding the Palestinian question and the Palestinian people’s rights.
China has firmly supported Palestinian causes at the United Nations and provided selfless support to the Palestinian people, said Abbas Zaki, a Palestinian Fatah Central Committee member and commissioner for relations with Arab countries and China.
Interview: Palestinian president’s visit to China to strengthen bilateral ties: official
People’s Daily, 12 June 2023
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ state visit to China will lay the foundation for consolidating bilateral relations, a senior Palestinian official said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Abbas Zaki, a Palestinian Fatah Central Committee member and commissioner for relations with Arab countries and China, said China and Palestine are “friends closer than brothers.”
Zaki said that China and Palestine have always supported each other in their core interests. He said China firmly supports the cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and supports establishing an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on 1967 borders.
He said Palestine appreciated China’s call for a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestine issue at the United Nations and other levels and that Abbas’ visit would strengthen bilateral ties.
Speaking of the first China-Arab States Summit held last year, Zaki said it was a milestone in the history of China-Arab relations and would guide the direction for developing China-Arab relations in the new era.
“I am very pleased to see that China has been more involved in Middle East affairs after the China-Arab States Summit last year,” said the Palestinian official, noting that the resumption of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia resulted from the China-proposed Global Security Initiative.
He said that the rapprochement signaled a change in the political landscape in the Middle East and raised awareness of unity and independence among regional countries.
Zaki said Western countries, led by the United States, have destabilized the region. “Iraq, Libya and Syria were destroyed by them, and Sudan is now facing fragmentation.”
According to Zaki, the United States has consistently shown bias and double standards on the Palestine issue, hindering progress toward restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
I am from Vancouver,Canada and i wanted to say that at the present time Men,Women and Children are been killed in the West Bank by Israeli Settlers while the Israeli Army looks on and does nothing.
The western Gov’ts of Canada, USA and Europe support these pogroms against the Palestinian People by not doing anything about this and it is not been reported in Newspapers in these countries.These kind of things have been going on since 1948 when the Palestinian Nakba was just starting. It never really stopped and it continues to this day.
It is good that China is going to help the Palestinian People. The western countries are the enemy of Palestine. Hopefully China can bring an end to the Death and Destruction in Palestine by the Israeli Gov’t.