China sends first envoy to Palestine and Israel in direct push for Gaza war ceasefire

“China will continue to work with the international community to stop the fighting as soon as possible and to make unremitting efforts to promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine based on the ‘two-state’ solution,” he was quoted by the Chinese foreign ministry as saying.

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According to the United Nations, 85 per cent of Gaza’s population – 1.9 million civilians – have been forcibly displaced since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Palestine’s official Wafa news agency quoted Maliki as saying that he appreciated the “continued endeavour” that China had made through international forums to support the establishment of the Palestinian state, particularly a submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Ma Xinmin, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s department of treaty and law, told an ICJ hearing last month that Beijing supported the Palestinian right to self-determination, adding that “numerous [UN General Assembly] resolutions recognise the legitimacy of struggling by all available means, including armed struggle”.

Israel protested against the statement, saying that it could be interpreted as support for the October 7 attack, while Hamas expressed appreciation for “the position expressed by the People’s Republic of China”.

He also went to Israel on Thursday for talks with Hagai Shagrir, head of the Israeli foreign ministry’s Asia and Pacific Bureau, and Rachel Feinmesser, the head of the same ministry’s Policy Research Centre.

Wang repeated China’s call for an immediate Gaza ceasefire while urging protection for civilians and humanitarian access.

“China and Israel are innovative and comprehensive partners, and bilateral relations have developed favourably in recent years,” he said.

The Israeli ministry did not release a statement on the meeting.

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China has made repeated calls for a ceasefire in the conflict but has had limited direct engagement with the Palestinians and Israelis since it began.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts once in October, while Wang Kejian is the first senior envoy from Beijing to visit the territory in that time.

But Beijing has been vocal elsewhere.

At the annual legislative gathering in Beijing last week, Wang Yi said China backed the Palestinians’ push for full United Nations membership, calling on “individual Security Council members to refrain from placing obstacles in its way” – a veiled swipe at the United States.

Palestine became a non-member observer state 12 years ago and is seeking full UN membership this year.

In the meeting on Wednesday, Maliki thanked China for its support for the campaign.

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He also said Palestine appreciated China’s “provision of aid and support to the Palestinian people and financial support” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees, an agency that had its funding cut after some of its staff were accused of involvement in the Hamas attack in October.

While avoiding any direct criticism of Israel, Wang Yi has also called last week for the release of all “detained people”, in reference to the hostages taken by Hamas.

According to the UN’s Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, there are “reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery”.

At a UN briefing last week, Geng Shuang, China’s envoy to the United Nations, said China condemned “all forms of sexual violence against women”, but added that Palestinian women in Gaza were also suffering starvation and displacement as the fasting month of Ramadan approached.

South China Morning Post