Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed Beijing's support for the establishment of a Palestinian state on Thursday, calling on the international community to keep the Palestinian Arab issue at the forefront of diplomatic efforts, Reuters reported.
Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) “foreign minister" Varsen Aghabekian Shahin in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry.
"The Palestinian issue should not be marginalized," Wang told Shahin.
He also urged "all peace-loving countries" to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict.
Wang's comments came as he held a separate meeting with President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit in Baku.
According to a statement from the President's Office, Herzog and Wang discussed bilateral relations between Israel and China, as well as broader developments in the Middle East.
A statement released by China's Foreign Ministry said that Wang called on Israel to halt and reverse the establishment of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria during the meeting with Herzog.
During the meeting, Wang reiterated Beijing's longstanding position on the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, describing the Palestinian Arab issue as “the greatest historical injustice of the current century."
The Chinese foreign minister emphasized that advancing peace and reconciliation throughout the Middle East remains the "cornerstone" of Beijing's regional policy.
Addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Wang said the most urgent priority was to ensure full access to the territory to prevent what he characterized as a humanitarian "catastrophe" from spreading.
He also demanded that Israel end and reverse what he described as the "forced establishment" of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang expressed Beijing's willingness to cooperate with the international community in encouraging the parties to resume negotiations at the earliest opportunity.
He said China would support efforts to bring the sides back to dialogue and consultation, with the goal of achieving a political resolution to the conflict.
China has repeatedly expressed its support for Palestinian statehood and has offered on several occasions to mediate negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In 2013, Beijing introduced a four-point proposal intended to advance a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
The initiative called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, emphasized negotiations as the only viable path to peace, endorsed the principle of "land for peace", and proposed international guarantees to facilitate progress in the peace process.
China reiterated its position in 2024, when Wang met Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.
During a joint press conference, Wang called for the creation of a Palestinian Arab state based on the pre-1967 lines, with eastern Jerusalem serving as its capital.
"It is necessary to insist on the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital," Wang said at the time.
The two foreign ministers also advocated convening an international peace conference to advance a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.
They called for "an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the (Israeli) occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state".