China’s official response to Hamas’s recent attack on Israel has been to condemn “acts that harm civilians” and “that escalate the conflict and destabilise the region”, while re-emphasising the need to “restart the peace talks” and “implement the two-state solution”.
"China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks," Chinese President Xi Jinping has had once said, (xinhua, 14/06/2023).
Indeed, Xi puts forward three-point proposal for settlement of Palestinian question:
First, the fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Second, Palestine's economic and livelihood needs should be met, and the international community needs to step up development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Third, it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks. The historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem should be respected, and excessive and provocative words and actions should be avoided. A large-scale, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference should be convened so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks and contribute tangible efforts to help Palestine and Israel live in peace.
Other reactions from China’s establishment intellectuals - like Niu Xinchun (牛新春) - are to be noted, too.
Here are a selection of links to academic papers from various China’s think tanks (in Chinese):
“Why is the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Escalating?” by Shu Meng (舒梦) – Researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (09.10.2023);
“Another Surprise Attack After 50 years, a New Opportunity For Israeli-Palestinian Peace May be Hidden in The Flames of War” and “Why has a violent conflict suddenly erupted between the Palestinians and the Israelis?” by Wang Jin (王晋) – Associate professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Northwest University (7-8.10.2023);
Phoenix interview with Qin Tian (秦天) – Deputy director of the Institute of Middle East Studies, CICIR (09.10.2023)
Guancha interview with Liu Zhongmin (刘中民) – Professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (09.10.2023);
Nanfang Plus interview with Niu Song (钮松), Ding Long (丁隆) and Wang Jin (王晋) – Respectively: Researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU); Professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies, SISU; Associate professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Northwest University (08.10.2023).
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