Chinese President Xi affirms support for Palestine’s full UN membership

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that his country supports Palestine in becoming a full member state of the United Nations.

Xi made the remarks during his talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Wednesday.

The two leaders announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Palestine, Xinhua news agency reported.

“China and Palestine are good friends and good partners who trust and support each other,” Xi said, adding that China was one of the “first countries to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine”.

“China has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and worked for a comprehensive, just and durable solution of the Palestinian question at an early date,” he said.

The Chinese President called on both sides to take the establishment of strategic partnership as an opportunity to continue supporting each other on issues of core concern, advance cooperation in various areas, deepen partnership in jointly building the Belt and Road, speed up negotiations on the China-Palestine free trade agreement, share experiences on national governance and further the traditional friendship.

Xi stressed that the Palestinian question has remained unresolved for over half a century, “causing great sufferings to the Palestinian people; justice must be done to Palestine as soon as possible”.

“China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks,” he said.

“China is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Palestine and other developing countries, enhance coordination in international and regional affairs, advance China’s cooperation with Arab states, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice,” Xi added.

Palestinian President Abbas said that Palestine supports China’s position on issues concerning its core interests and follows the one-China principle, adding that Palestine will work with China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen bilateral cooperation and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

“Palestine backs the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, and speaks highly of the China-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” Abbas added.

After their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral economic and technological cooperation.

–IANS

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