China hopes to see an independent state of Palestine coexisting peacefully with Israel, said special envoy the Middle East Wang Shijie in Beijing on Wednesday. Wang returned from a week-long visit to the region—his fourth--earlier this month.
Wang said that China and the leaders of Palestine, Jordan and Syria, whom he met during his trip, agreed on many issues.
China has always supported the just cause of the Arab and Palestinian people and Palestine's legitimate rights, including setting up an independent state and the principle of land-for-peace and negotiation for peaceful solutions.
Currently, there are no specific new proposals or initiatives from China on Middle East issues "because the position of the Chinese side is clear-cut and it remains unchanged." But, Wang added, "Maybe in the future at a convenient time, we will put forth some proposals."
Palestine, Jordan and Syria agreed that the Middle East peace process has come to an impasse and the conditions and livelihood of the Palestinian people are deteriorating. The three parties urged the international community to put more effort into helping to prevent the occurrence of larger-scale conflicts. They also expressed their readiness to work on peaceful solutions as their strategic options and carry out peaceful negotiations with Israel to seek a final resolution of Middle East issues.
Palestine has shown its concern over the unilateral pullout plan proposed by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Wang. While the Palestinians welcome the pullout, they said that Sharon's unilateral plan was in effect a deviation from the road map to peace.
Jordan has shown great concern over Israel's building of a barrier, as the wall may result in a new wave of Palestinian refugees.
Syria voiced its strong opposition to the sanctions imposed by the United States. The country also expressed willingness to resume talks with Israel and pick up negotiations where they left off.
China's position is that the Middle East peace process cannot move forward without Syria's participation.
(China Daily June 17, 2004)
