Netanyahu meets Chinese President
Netanyahu meets Chinese PresidentGPO photo

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for peace between Israel and an independent Palestinian state "as soon as possible" during a meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

"A peaceful, stable and developing Middle East is the common interest of all parties... China appreciates that the Israeli side will continue to tackle the Israeli-Palestinian issue on the basis of the 'two-state solution,'" Xi said, according to AFP.

"As soon as possible, (I hope) the two countries will live in peace and coexistence," he added.

Netanyahu said Israel was willing to see China play a bigger role in Middle East affairs, the report said.

This is not the first time that China’s President has called for the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Last year, Xi stated that his country supports the creation of a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders.

In 2013, China called for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the PA, explaining the need to settle “the Palestinian question.”

Also that year, Xi discussed with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas a four-point proposal for peace talks with Israel.

The Chinese proposal focused on an independent Palestinian state, negotiations as the only way to peace, the principle of "land for peace", and guarantees the international community should provide for the progress of the peace process.

Netanyahu’s visit to China is in honor of 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, the two leaders announced a comprehensive innovation partnership focusing on the development of various technologies.

"We know that you have great scientists, great industrialists, great capabilities, and we think that by working together we can make the future better for our peoples," Netanyahu said.

Xi said the two countries would push forward with "major cooperation projects" in science and technology, water resources, agriculture, medicine, clean energy, and other fields, according to the Xinhua news agency.