Israel-Gaza war: French and Chinese leaders say two-state solution is ‘fundamental’ to ending conflict

Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron also agree their top priority is to stop things deteriorating further, according to China’s state broadcaster

Call between the two presidents comes as a delegation from Arab and Muslim-majority states visit Beijing to discuss the crisis

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China’s President Xi Jinping pictured with Emmanuel Macron during the French leader’s visit to China earlier this year. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:11pm, 20 Nov 2023Updated: 9:26pm, 20 Nov 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed that the Israel-Gaza conflict can only be resolved by a two-state solution during a telephone call on Monday.

Both “believe that the top priority is to prevent the Palestinian-Israeli situation from deteriorating further, especially from a more serious humanitarian crisis”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. They also agreed that the two state solution would be the “fundamental way to resolve the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict”.

The French government has yet to release any information about the conversation.

The call took place as foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority countries touched down in Beijing.

China was the first point on a whistle-stop tour for the diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and the Palestinian Authority, as well as representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. They will later visit the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the delegation that Israel must open humanitarian corridors “as soon as possible to prevent a wider humanitarian disaster” and refrain from “collective punishment”.