Mahmoud Abbas in China as Xi Jinping set to broker Israel-Palestine talks

New Delhi, June 13

After effecting a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, China will attempt a far tougher mediation effort to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict with the arrival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Tuesday, reported Chinese state media.

• Editorial: Peacemaker China

Abbas met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, reported Palestinian news agency Wafa. The leaders “exchanged opinions on the latest developments on the Palestinian arena as well as on regional and international issues of mutual concern,” it added.

Beijing eyes bigger role in West Asia

• Beijing meticulously setting stage for talks between Israel and Palestine
• President Xi co-chaired first Arab-China summit in December last year in Riyadh
• Said would work for an early, just and durable solution to Palestinian territory issue

Abbas will stay until Friday on his fifth official visit to China. Beijing has been meticulously setting the stage for talks. Xi had co-chaired the first Arab-China summit in December last year in Saudi capital Riyadh where the Palestinian President was also invited.

Xi had then said he would “work for an early, just and durable solution to the Palestinian issue”. A month later, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had called on Israel to stop “incitements and provocations” against Palestinians, particularly in occupied Jerusalem amid rise in tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Increased fighting over the last year between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank has resulted in the deadliest period of violence between the sides

The Palestinian President is an “old and good friend of the Chinese people”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had said last week when details of Abbas’ visit to Beijing had surfaced. “China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights,” he had added.

“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 Palestinian official Abbas Zaki in an interview to Xinhua. He noted the resumption of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia resulted from the China-proposed Global Security Initiative that signalled a change in political landscape in the region.