(30 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
AGENCY POOL
Beijing – 30 May 2024
1. Wide of joint briefing after the closing of China-Arab Forum
2. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister:
“Together we issued a joint statement between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian question, a voice of justice that calls for defusing the conflicts in Gaza as soon as possible and bringing about a comprehensive justice and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question.”
3. Wide of joint briefing
4. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister:
“China and Arab countries will continue to follow the development paths that suit our national conditions and firmly support each other in upholding our core interests. China will continue to support Arab countries in seeking solidarity and cooperation and self-reliance in exploring ways of solving hotspot issues in the region and upholding fairness and sustained peace and security.”
5. Wide of joint briefing
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Arab League Secretary-General:
“From outside, I want to take the opportunity to once again say that we highly appreciate China’s stance in supporting the Palestinian cause. And we are looking forward to continuing to receive this support and to deepen it, which also includes the quest that we are all on for Palestine to gain full membership in the U.N. and to turn the vision of a two-state solution into reality through a political path that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
7. Wang Yi and Gheit shaking hands and leaving
STORYLINE:
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated calls for ‘defusing’ the ongoing conflict in Gaza at the end of a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.
Speaking at a joint media briefing with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Wang announced a series of results documents out of the one-day meeting, including a joint statement between China and Arab states that calls for immediate stop of violence in Gaza, full membership of Palestinian state in the U.N., and the two-state solution of the Palestinian issue.
China also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care. Besides China’s expansive trade ties in the Middle East, it has increasingly sought to play a diplomatic role in the region.
In 2023, Beijing helped broker an agreement that saw Saudi Arabia and Iran reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of tension in a role previously reserved for longtime global heavyweights like the U.S. and Russia.
“China will continue to support Arab countries in seeking solidarity and cooperation and self-reliance in exploring ways of solving hot-spot issues in the region that uphold fairness and sustained peace and security,” said Wang.
Aboul-Gheit said the Arab League appreciates China’s support for the Palestinians in the conflict.
“We highly appreciate China’s stance in supporting the Palestinian cause,” he said. “And we are looking forward to continuing receiving this support and to deepen it,” he said.
Beijing has long backed Palestinians and denounced Israel over its settlements in the occupied territories.
It has not criticized the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 — which killed about 1,200 Israelis — while the United States and others have called it an act of terrorism. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.
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