Diplomatic Meeting: Muslim Leaders Push for Immediate Ceasefire in Talks with Chinese Foreign Minister
Ministers from various Muslim countries convened in Beijing on Monday, urging an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the initial leg of a diplomatic tour aimed at ending hostilities and facilitating humanitarian aid to the devastated Palestinian enclave.
The delegation, scheduled to meet officials from each of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members, also aimed to exert pressure on the West to reject Israel’s self-defense justification for its actions against Palestinians.
Officials participating in meetings with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, included representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestinian authorities, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stated, “We are here to send a clear signal: that is we must immediately stop the fighting and the killings, we must immediately deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza.”
Saudi Arabia has actively urged the United States and Israel to cease hostilities in Gaza, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rallying Arab and Muslim leaders for support.
The delegation is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza situation. In comments posted by the Egyptian foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry told his Chinese counterpart that they look forward to China playing a stronger role in stopping the attacks against Palestinians.
China’s Foreign Minister, Wang, expressed China’s longstanding support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and called for de-escalation since the onset of hostilities. He reiterated China’s advocacy for a two-state solution to achieve an independent Palestine.
China has strengthened its alliances with non-Western multilateral groups such as BRICS and bolstered ties with nations in the Middle East and the Global South. President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to attend a BRICS leaders’ video summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
Additionally, Wang stated that China would work to quell the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and promote an early, comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue.
China’s special envoy on the Middle East, Zhai Jun, has engaged with officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Arab League, and the EU over the past year to discuss a two-state solution and recognition for Palestine at the United Nations.
