Dialogue key to stability in Middle East

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for a return to dialogue and political settlement of the Middle East conflict as the way to promote lasting peace and stability in the region, during separate meetings with senior officials from Israel, Palestine and Bahrain.

Experts said China's direct engagements with countries in the region have underscored its constructive role in advancing regional peace and contributing to global security governance.

On Thursday, Wang met separately in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on the sidelines of the seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.

The meetings came as Wang's latest engagement with regional stakeholders, following his talks in Beijing on Tuesday with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, special envoy of the UAE president to China.

In his talks with Herzog, Wang urged efforts to fully open access to the Gaza Strip to prevent a humanitarian disaster from further worsening, and stressed that Israel should stop and reverse its forced establishment of settlements in the West Bank.

Wang said promoting peace and reconciliation in the region is the cornerstone of China's Middle East policy. Noting that the Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century, he said the two-state solution is the right path to resolving the question.

The Palestinian question must not be marginalized, Wang said while meeting with Shahin. As a responsible major country, China will continue to speak out actively in support of the just cause of the Palestinian people on multilateral platforms, he said.

He said China will call on all peace-loving countries to firmly support a two-state solution and work together to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question as soon as possible.

Wang also expressed China's willingness to strengthen communication and coordination with countries like Bahrain to help achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.

During the meetings, the three regional stakeholders shared a common recognition of China's constructive role, acknowledging Beijing's consistent efforts to promote peace and stability.

Israel values the proposals and initiatives China put forward, Herzog said, adding that his country is willing to stay in touch with Beijing. Shahin thanked China for consistently advocating for Palestine on multilateral platforms and for delivering selfless humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Meanwhile, Al Zayani said Bahrain commends China for maintaining communication with countries in the region and for actively promoting a ceasefire.

'No selfish interests'

Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the latest diplomatic engagements demonstrate that China has long promoted a peaceful settlement of the Palestine-Israel conflict, refraining from taking sides and harboring no selfish interests.

Wang Guangda, secretary-general of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development and a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said the series of meetings between China and countries in the region "embodies Beijing's commitment to actively advancing regional peace and stability".

From championing dialogue and de-escalation of tensions to advocating the common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, China takes a holistic approach to promoting peace in the Middle East, and continues advancing regional security governance toward a more equitable, reasonable, inclusive and sustainable future, he added.