China has called on Israel to stop and reverse what it described as the “forced establishment” of settlements in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the issue with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a meeting in Azerbaijan, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry on Friday.
Wang told Herzog that Beijing has consistently regarded the Palestinian question as the greatest historical injustice of this century, the ministry said. He also argued that a two-state solution is the correct route to a settlement.
Beijing presses for Gaza access and dialogue
Wang said the most urgent priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip, so that a humanitarian “catastrophe” does not spread. He added that China is ready to work with the international community to push all parties back to dialogue as soon as possible and to pursue a political settlement.
Wang’s Baku trip and Xi’s Cairo visit
Wang is attending the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Baku, acting as special representative of President Xi Jinping, Xinhua reported.
In September, Xi visited Cairo for the first time in a decade and urged Middle East countries to resist external influence and consider reshaping the region’s security order. The visit came as Beijing seeks to widen its influence in the region amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
China’s criticism of strikes on Iran and trade ties
In March, China criticised the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and demanded an immediate halt to the joint strikes. Wang told his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, that the attack had come while Washington and Tehran had “made significant progress, including addressing Israel’s security concerns”, according to the foreign ministry.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission says China was Iran’s largest trading partner, buying up to 90 percent of its oil. In 2021, Beijing signed a 25-year “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with Tehran.
Meanwhile, Beijing has spent the past decade building closer ties with Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It also remains a top trade partner of both the United States and Israel.
