President Xi stresses China’s stance on Gaza conflict, Ukraine crisis

Published: May 08,2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron meet the press in Paris, France, May 6, 2024. /Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping re-emphasized China’s principled position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis when he met the press with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday in Paris.

He stressed that China supports the two-state solution to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, and supports a peace conference to bring back Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table for the Ukraine crisis.

Noting that the prolonged tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a test for human conscience, Xi said the international community must act. He called on all parties to work for an immediate, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

He stressed that China supports the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations, supports restoring to Palestine its legitimate national rights and restarting the two-state solution, so as to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

On the Ukraine crisis, Xi said China is not a party to or a participant of the ongoing conflict. But instead of being an onlooker, China has been playing an important role for peace, Xi added. He said the special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs has started his third round of shuttle diplomacy to promote the political settlement of the crisis.

Xi stressed that China opposes attempts to use the Ukraine crisis to scapegoat or smear a third country or to stoke a “new Cold War.”

“History has proven time and again that, at the end of the day, conflicts can only be resolved through negotiation,” Xi said. He called on all parties to resume engagement and dialogue to build mutual trust, saying China supports holding, at a proper time, an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans.

China supports a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in Europe, Xi said.

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