On June 13, 88-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flew to Beijing Capital International Airport for a four-day visit to China.
On the afternoon of the 14th, President Xi Jinping held talks with Abbas at the Great Hall of the People. The two heads of state announced the establishment of the China-Pakistan strategic partnership.
Niu Xinchun, director of the Middle East Institute of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that from the perspective of bilateral relations, this year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, and inviting Abbas to visit China has certain symbolic significance. In addition, Abbas is the first Arab head of state to visit China after the China-Arab summit, marking a new stage in China-Arab relations. As far as Pakistan is concerned, the country has a trend of being marginalized by the international community and looks forward to enhancing international attention through its visit to China.
▲On the afternoon of June 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After the talks, the two heads of state jointly signed the seal on the first day of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, and witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents such as economic and technical cooperation agreements. (Image from China Newsweek)
The relations between the two countries have reached a new level
The traditional friendship of China-Pakistan relations dates back more than half a century, and China was one of the first countries to support the Palestinian national resistance movement and recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine, as well as the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine.
The friendly relations forged by the older generation of leaders of the two countries have also been passed down to this day. Abbas visited China for the first time in May 2005, followed by visits to China in late April and early May 2010, May 2013 and July 2017.
Due to the coronavirus epidemic hindering the in-person meeting between the two heads of state, Abbas's visit to China has been six years since his last visit. "The first China-Arab summit in December 2022 opened a new era in China-Arab relations, and President Abbas's visit after six years will further consolidate and develop China-Pakistan friendly relations." Niu Song, a professor at the Middle East Institute at Shanghai Overseas Chinese University, told China Newsweek.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ma Liki, who accompanied President Abbas on his visit to China, and also expressed confidence that the two heads of state will make a top-level design for the development of bilateral relations, clarify the strategic direction, and promote the traditional friendly relations between the two countries to a new level.
During the talks between Xi Jinping and Abbas on the afternoon of June 14, the two heads of state announced the establishment of a China-Pakistan strategic partnership. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Pakistan are good friends and partners who trust and support each other. China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine, and has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and promoted an early comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine.
Abbas said: On behalf of the Palestinian people, I would like to sincerely thank China for its long-term strong support and selfless assistance to the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights and just cause. China is a trusted friend and partner of Pakistan. Pakistan firmly supports China's position on core interests and firmly abides by the one-China principle.
After the talks, the two heads of state jointly signed the seal on the first day of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, and witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents such as economic and technical cooperation agreements. The two sides issued the Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the State of Palestine on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership.
In recent years, China-Pakistan cooperation has achieved many remarkable results: in 2021, the second China-Pakistan Economic and Trade Joint Committee meeting was successfully held; In the same year, Palestine participated in the China International Import Expo for the first time, providing a platform for Palestine to share China's development opportunities. In 2022, the governments of China and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Brazil will be 158 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 23.2%.
Over the years, China has aided the construction of dozens of infrastructure projects such as schools and highways on the Palestinian side, and provided Palestine with agricultural technology and experience. Through holding activities and exchange meetings, the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education, science and technology, culture and other fields has been strengthened. During the epidemic, China also provided a large amount of medical assistance to Pakistan, shared its experience in epidemic prevention and control, diagnosis and treatment with Pakistan, and sent a medical expert team. In addition, China has been providing humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.
"Creating conditions for the resumption of peace talks"
In 2023, a series of bloody clashes broke out between Palestine and Israel in Jerusalem, Gaza and even the Israeli-Lebanese border. In April, Israeli police clashed with Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. In May, clashes resumed between the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
"Since the 'right-right' government in history came to power at the end of 2022, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has intensified." Niuson pointed out.
Niu Xinchun also told China Newsweek that the current level of tension between Palestine and Israel is the highest in nearly a decade. Against this backdrop, however, Palestine is facing the reality of marginalization. First, the international community's economic and humanitarian assistance to Palestine is declining. Second, attention to promoting Palestinian-Israeli peace talks is also declining.
In the past, Palestinian-Israeli peace talks were generally led by the U.S. government. But the last Palestinian-Israeli peace talks were held in 2014, led by the Obama administration. After Trump took office, he also proposed the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, but because the Palestinian side believed that the peace talks plan was too biased in favor of Israel, it simply refused to participate in the negotiations. Since the Biden administration came to power, it has not put forward any proposals for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. "The Biden administration has also become the only US government since 1993 that has not proposed Palestinian-Israeli peace talks." Niu Xinchun said.
On the Palestinian issue, despite the contradictions between Palestine and Israel due to the intertwining of historical and practical issues, China's attitude and position have always been consistent and played a positive role in promoting peace.
In 2013, Xi Jinping invited Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit China and put forward China's four-point proposal on resolving the Palestinian issue. First, we should adhere to the correct direction of independent Palestinian statehood and peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel; Second, negotiations should be regarded as the only way to achieve Palestinian-Israeli peace; Third, we should unswervingly adhere to the principle of "land for peace"; Fourth, the international community should provide an important guarantee for advancing the peace process.
In 2017, during Abbas's visit to China, Xi Jinping once again put forward a four-point proposal on promoting the settlement of the Palestinian issue and proposed the launch of the trilateral dialogue mechanism between China, Palestine and Israel.
When meeting Abbas in Riyadh last December, Xi Jinping also called on the international community to prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda, adhere to the direction of the "two-state solution" and the principle of "land for peace", and promote the resumption of peace talks on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
In March this year, Zhai Jun, the Chinese Government's special envoy for the Middle East, visited Israel and Palestine, and also met with Winnesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in Jerusalem to exchange views on the Palestinian issue.
In this meeting, Xi Jinping put forward three proposals. First, the fundamental solution to the question of Palestine lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with full sovereignty, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Secondly, the needs of the Palestinian economy and people's livelihood should be guaranteed, and the international community should increase its development assistance and humanitarian assistance to Palestine. Third, we must adhere to the correct direction of the peace talks. Respect the status quo in the history of the religious holy sites in Jerusalem, reject radical and provocative words and deeds, promote the convening of a larger, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference, create conditions for the resumption of peace talks, and make practical efforts to help Palestine and Israel coexist in peace. China is willing to play a positive role in achieving internal reconciliation and promoting peace talks among Pakistan.
Niuson believes that the "three-point proposal" further emphasizes the economic and people's livelihood needs of Palestine and the correct direction of the peace talks, that is, to do what is conducive to the real success of the peace talks, rather than unilaterally and deliberately changing the status quo.
In Niu Xinchun's view, the first of the "three-point proposals" is a continuation of the previous Chinese initiative, that is, the "two-state solution" is the only feasible solution to the Palestinian issue; The second point is to call on the international community to help Palestine alleviate the most urgent livelihood problems; The third point relates to the marginalization of Palestine. But he also admitted that for now, returning to Palestinian-Israeli negotiations is still difficult. Therefore, according to the "three-point proposal", the relevant parties should "create conditions for the resumption of peace talks".
The "tide of reconciliation" in the Middle East has accelerated
Abbas's visit to China coincides with the acceleration of the "tide of reconciliation" in the Middle East. On March 10 this year, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran jointly reached a trilateral joint statement in Beijing, and the "old enemy" of Saudi Arabia and Iran announced that diplomatic relations would be restored. This has also become a major breakthrough in China's "persuasion and talks" diplomacy.
Then, on April 6, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran gathered in Beijing to officially announce the resumption of diplomatic relations. In this round of "reconciliation wave", the Syrian foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, and Bahrain and Qatar announced the formal resumption of diplomatic relations. There are also glimmers of peace in Yemen, which has lasted for more than a decade. On April 9, Saudi and Oman representatives met with senior Houthi armed forces in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, to begin dialogue on a ceasefire. The Yemeni government later issued a statement saying that after Saudi Arabia and Iran recently resumed diplomatic relations, "peace is now more likely than ever in Yemen." ”
Niu Xinchun analyzed that there are several factors in this round of Middle East "reconciliation wave", first of all, the United States has carried out strategic contraction in the Middle East, resulting in a decline in US influence, a unipolar world to a multipolar world, and the foreign policies of Middle Eastern countries must be adjusted accordingly. Second, Middle Eastern countries realize that economic transformation is crucial, and that a peaceful external environment is necessary to get rid of excessive dependence on energy. In addition, countries in the region have learned from the Arab Spring from 2010 to 2020, realizing that geopolitical games are not good for their own development.
Niu Xinchun said that under such a trend, China is welcomed by Middle Eastern countries, not only because China has good relations with regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, but also because China has always adhered to an attitude of respect for equality and friendship. Facts have also shown that seeking common peace and development is the aspiration of the people of the countries in the Middle East.
A survey commissioned by YouGov, a polling agency, found that 80 percent of Palestinians welcomed China's role in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Niusson believes that the emergence of the "reconciliation tide" in the Middle East and the great changes in the pattern of the Middle East will play a positive role in promoting the alleviation of the development and security deficit in the Middle East and even the consolidation of global development and security. However, he also pointed out that "freezing three feet is not a day's cold", peace in the Middle East is a complex and diversified issue, and it is difficult to make a fundamental breakthrough in Palestinian-Israeli relations in the short term, but China will continue to play a positive role in "persuading peace and promoting talks". (End)
Author/Zheng Liying