On the 18th in Cairo, Chinese Special Envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun emphasized to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty that the Palestinian issue “must not be ignored or forgotten again.”
Zhai noted that the “Palestinian issue is fundamental to long-term peace, stability, and security in the Middle East” and that post-war agreements in Gaza “must be in line with the implementation of the ‘two-state solution,’” according to a statement released yesterday by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Chinese diplomat stated that “a further spread of the conflict would cause greater losses, affecting regional economic development and global energy security,” emphasizing the “urgency” of a “ceasefire” to “return to the correct path of resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.”
Abdelatty stated that “the current escalation of regional tensions has serious consequences and benefits none of the parties,” urging Iran to “cease its attacks against Arab countries.”
“The current conflict should not divert international attention from the Palestinian issue, nor from the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as well as the post-war governance and reconstruction agreements,” the Egyptian diplomat said, according to the Chinese statement.
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“Egypt and China share a high degree of consensus on regional issues, and Egypt is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to jointly promote the restoration of peace and stability in the region,” according to Abdelatty.
Zhai, whose schedule of meetings in Middle Eastern countries has not been detailed, is in the region conducting “active mediation” in the conflict, as part of which he plans to meet with the parties involved to promote a return to negotiations, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently reported.
The diplomat has already visited other countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, where he called for a ceasefire and “respect” for the “sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of the Arab states in the Gulf region.”
The conflict has pitted Iran against the United States and Israel since late February, when both countries launched attacks on Iranian territory, to which Tehran responded with offensives against several Gulf countries and positions linked to Washington in the region.
