After Gaza agreement, China still aloof
Following last year’s historic reconciliation between Palestinian factions in Beijing, "blessed" by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the People's Republic of China did not take part in ceasefire negotiations over Gaza. Even after last night's breakthrough, Beijing appears aloof. Business remains the crux of its involvement in the region.
Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – In today’s daily press conference, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun answered a question from an AFP journalist, the last of the day, after an agreement was announced in Sharm el-Sheikh on the first phase of Trump's Gaza plan.
“China hopes that a full and permanent ceasefire in Gaza will be realized as early as possible, the humanitarian crisis will be effectively eased, and tensions in the region will be diffused,” Guo said.
“China upholds the principle of ‘the Palestinians governing Palestine’ and promotes the implementation of the two-State solution. We stand ready to work with the international community to make unremitting effort towards an early, full, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question and a peaceful and stable Middle East,” he added.
Trump’s plan, which should lead to a ceasefire in Gaza, is set to start in 72 hours with the release of the last Israeli hostages still alive in Gaza and approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
The press conference, as one might expect, began with a question from Central China Television (CCTV) concerning Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech announcing his attendance at the inaugural session of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, which the United Nations is holding in the Chinese capital on 13 and 14 October, 30 years after the 1995 Beijing Conference.
It is telling that no Chinese state media saw fit to ask the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson about China’s reaction to the Gaza agreement, a very delicate issue, seemingly more concerned about its position on the proposed Olympic Truce for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
“At the moment,” Guo said, “the world is neither peaceful nor tranquil, and regional security hotspots keep cropping up. China supports taking the Olympic Truce resolution as an opportunity to bridge differences through dialogue and replace confrontation with cooperation, enhance mutual understanding and safeguard world peace and development.”
Thus, seen through today's lenses, the picture taken on 23 July 2024, seems decidedly far away.
Under the "blessing" of Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, representatives of 14 Palestinian factions gathered in Beijing for a historic reconciliation, which was supposed to be the start of Chinese efforts to settle the long conflict in the Middle East.
It was presented as the start of a process for the establishment of a national reconciliation government that would address the post-war situation in Gaza. In the end, it was no more than another photo-op, with Beijing choosing the sidelines of diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.
In fact, Beijing’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is something of a balancing act.
Historically, a supporter of the Palestinian right of self-determination, China has also invested heavily in business ties with Israel: from the ports of Shanghai and Ashdod to forms of cooperation (more or less avowed) in the hi-tech sector.
In China itself, many Chinese sympathise more with Netanyahu than with the Palestinians after being subjected for years to the regime’s nationalist rhetoric about the "terrorist" threat in Xinjiang.
This explains why Beijing is staying clear from the dangerous quagmire of seeking peace in the Middle East in order not to jeopardise other more pressing interests.
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15/02/2025 15:32
13/02/2020 09:58
