China’s Wang Yi calls Israeli, Palestinian foreign ministers, condemns harm to civilians
- ‘Every country has the right to self-defence, but should abide by international law,’ Chinese foreign minister tells his Israeli counterpart
- Wang also expressed sympathy for the people in Gaza, in a call made on the same day to the Palestinian Authority’s foreign affairs chief
On the same day, Wang also called the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister for the first time, as part of Beijing’s efforts to present itself as a peacemaker in the intensifying conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
In the Monday call with Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Wang expressed China’s “deep worries” about the war’s escalation and stressed that Beijing “condemns all actions that harm civilians”, according to the Chinese statement.
“Every country has the right to self-defence, but should abide by international law and protect the safety of civilians,” he said.
Wang highlighted that China had “no self-interest” in a political settlement of the issue but “genuinely hoped” it to be “fully and fairly resolved, such that security concerns of all parties could also be solved fundamentally”.
Speaking to the Palestinian Authority’s Riyad al-Maliki, Wang expressed “deep sympathy for the adversity” faced by Palestinians, especially those in Gaza.