Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should halt settlement activity in the West Bank, according to a statement released Friday by China’s foreign ministry. The meeting occurred in Baku, Azerbaijan, where both officials were attending the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
The Chinese ministry’s statement detailed that Wang described the Palestinian issue as “the greatest historical injustice of this century” and affirmed that a “two-state solution” is the correct path toward a resolution. Wang also stated that the immediate priority should be to open humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, Wang said China is willing to work with the international community to encourage all parties to return to dialogue and seek a political settlement. China’s state news agency, Xinhua, reported that Wang attended the summit as the special representative of President Xi Jinping.
This meeting follows other recent Chinese diplomatic activities in the Middle East. In September, President Xi visited Cairo and met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss regional security. A spokesperson for the Egyptian president said the talks included the “US-Israel war on Iran,” with both leaders urging “diplomatic solutions” for a “comprehensive agreement to end the war.”
In March, China’s foreign ministry addressed military actions in the region. In a statement from that time, the ministry said Wang told his then-Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, that joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran should cease. The Chinese statement noted that the action occurred while negotiations between Washington and Tehran had “made significant progress.”
China maintains economic ties with multiple countries in the region. It signed a 25-year “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with Iran in 2021 and has been a primary buyer of its oil, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Beijing is also a top trade partner for several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as for Israel and the United States.
