Daily Times

China’s Special Envoy Zhai Jun on the Middle East Issue had a group meeting with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries on Friday and elaborated on China’s position on the escalation of conflicts between Israel and Palestine and Israel and Lebanon, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Zhai Jun particularly urged relevant sides to act in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions, and earnestly respect and maintain the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, and shared what China had done to ease the situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said while narrating the details of the meeting during her regular briefing. Zhai Jun said the pressing task now was to keep the situation under control. “China urges relevant parties, Israel in particular, to stay calm‚ and exercise restraint to the greatest extent, avoid taking any actions that may heighten tensions and prevent further escalation of the situation. “China has actively responded to the call of Arab states and asked the UN Security Council to hold emergency consultations on the Israel-Palestine situation together with countries including the UAE, making active efforts for de-escalation. “We stay in close communication with relevant parties in the international community to facilitate peace talks,” he added. Zhai Jun said the fundamental way to resolve the conflicts between Palestine and Israel was the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine. Mao Ning said the international community needed to act with a stronger sense of urgency, heed the legitimate concerns of Palestine and take real steps to fulfill the pledge to the Palestinian people. Major countries with influence, she said, needed to step up to their responsibilities, take a just position and play their due part in facilitating the resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel on the basis of the two-state solution. “China will continue to make relentless efforts to facilitate a proper resolution of the Palestinian question at an early date,” she added.