Palestinian President Abbas to visit China this year

BEIJING – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China this year, confirms Beijing on Friday.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed it during regular press briefing while responding to a question about the current China-Palestine relations.

“President Abbas is an old and good friend of the Chinese people and the first Arab head of state to be hosted by China this year. This speaks volumes about the high-level friendly relations between China and Palestine,” the spokesperson said.

China and Palestine enjoy a traditional friendship, he said, adding that China is one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Palestine.

“In recent years, thanks to the personal guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Abbas, the China-Palestine relations have maintained a good momentum of growth with stronger political mutual trust and deeper friendship between the two peoples. China stands ready to work with Palestine to follow through on the common understandings of leaders of the two countries and take the China-Palestine traditional friendship to new heights,” he said.

The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue and matters to the region’s peace and stability and global equity and justice.

China has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, he said.

For ten consecutive years, President Xi Jinping has sent congratulatory messages to the special commemorative meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

More than once he put forward China’s proposals for resolving the Palestinian question, stressing the need to resolutely advance a political settlement based on the two-state solution and intensify international efforts for peace.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to work with the international community for a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question at an early date.