Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Beijing for a five-day official visit, where China expressed its willingness to support and facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talk, according to state media.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, with China expressing readiness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Abbas will stay until Friday, Beijing has said, on his fifth official visit to the world’s second-largest economy.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Abbas would meet with President Xi Jinping during the trip.
The two are expected to “exchange opinions… on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, as well as on regional and international issues of mutual concern”, Wafa reported.
Abbas will also meet with Premier Li Qiang, the news agency added.
“China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said
Beijing has sought to boost its ties to the Middle East, challenging long-standing US influence there, efforts that have sparked unease in Washington.
President Xi last December visited Saudi Arabia on an Arab outreach trip that also saw him meet with Abbas and pledge to “work for an early, just, and durable solution to the Palestinian issue.”
And during a trip to Riyadh last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saudi Arabia was not being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing, striking a conciliatory tone following tensions with the long-time ally.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
