Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, and China expressed willingness to assist in facilitating Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Palestinian president arrives in China: Abbas’ fifth official visit to the second-largest economy in the world will last until Friday, according to Beijing.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, President Xi Jinping will reportedly meet with Abbas during the trip.
According to Wafa, the two are anticipated to “exchange opinions on the most recent developments in the Palestinian arena as well as on regional and global issues of mutual concern.”
Premier Li Qiang and Abbas will also meet, the news service said.
According to Wang Wenbin, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, the long-serving Palestinian leader is “an old and good friend of the Chinese people.”
“China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights,” he continued.
Beijing has attempted to strengthen its links to the Middle East, threatening long-standing US influence there. These efforts have alarmed Washington.
During his trip to Saudi Arabia in December of last year, President Xi met with Abbas and committed to “work for an early, just, and durable solution to the Palestinian issue.”
During his visit to Riyadh last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken adopted a conciliatory tone. He reassured that Saudi Arabia was not pressured to choose between Washington and Beijing, addressing tensions with the long-time ally.
In an interview published this week by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Abbas Zaki, a representative of the Palestinians, stated that China and the Palestinians were “friends closer than brothers.”
After the previous year’s China-Arab States Summit, he stated, “I am really glad to see that China has increasingly involved itself in Middle Eastern politics.”