Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and reiterated calls for an independent Palestinian state at a summit with Arab leaders in Beijing. He reiterated China’s support for the two-state solution and pledged 500 million yuan (63 million euros) in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He also pledged to donate three million dollars to the UN Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to refugees in the war between Israel and Hamas. The China-Arab Cooperation Forum summit, attended by heads of state from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia, among others, is expected to focus on expanding China’s trade ties and on security issues related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Beijing and Arab states are backing the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing mounting international condemnation after an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah over the weekend killed at least 45 people. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.
In addition to talking about the war, Xi also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care.
In addition, China wants to present itself as an alternative to the West and a more credible partner to the region, which does not interfere in the internal affairs of nations or exert pressure.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sisi, who met with Xi on Wednesday, is present at the forum. The two leaders signed a series of agreements on cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, technology and food imports that should improve their countries’ ties.
The China-Arab Cooperation Forum was established in 2004 as a formal dialogue mechanism between China and Arab countries.
In addition to strengthening China’s trade ties in the Middle East, it is increasingly seeking to play a diplomatic role in the region. In 2023, Beijing helped broker a deal that restored ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran after seven years of severance and mutual tensions.
