Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Thursday (Oct. 12) that the Palestine-Israel conflict has tragically demonstrated once again that the only way to resolve the Palestinian issue is by starting sincere peace negotiations as soon as possible and recognizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian population.
When discussing the disagreement over the phone with Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, the head of the Brazilian Presidency, Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the comments.
Wang, who is also the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, noted that the Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East issue and that the main problem is that justice has not been done.
Noting that China is deeply saddened by the rising tension between Palestine and Israel and the huge civilian casualties, he said China opposes acts that harm civilians and condemns violations of international law.
China calls on all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate regional tensions as soon as possible and prevent further expansion of the conflict, Wang said, adding that the top priority is to ensure the safety of civilians, and open corridors for aid so as to avoid a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Wang said China calls for a more authoritative and influential international peace conference as soon as possible to push the international community to reach a broader consensus based on the "two-state solution" and formulate a timetable and road map for it.
Noting that the United Nations has the responsibility and obligation to play its due role on the Palestinian question, he said China supports the Security Council in holding an emergency meeting on the Palestine-Israel conflict, agrees to focus on humanitarian concerns, and clearly calls for practical measures to a ceasefire, an end to violence, protection of civilians, and the formation of a binding international consensus.
Wang stressed that China is willing to maintain communication, coordination and close cooperation with Brazil and relevant parties in this regard.
For his part, Amorim said that as the rotating president of the UN Security Council for the month of October, Brazil will host an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on Friday, adding that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has issued an open letter calling on Israel to stop its air strikes and protect children.
Amorim added that the key to resolving the conflict is to resume peace talks, and Brazil is willing to closely coordinate with China to jointly de-escalate the situation.
(With inputs from agencies)
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