‘China’s position is clear’: Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushes for one UN voice on Gaza ceasefire
- ‘Comprehensive ceasefire’ needed to ‘avoid further humanitarian disasters’, Wang tells UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York
- Talks with UN chief, Brazilian and Malaysian counterparts come with Wang due to chair Security Council meeting on Israel-Gaza conflict
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for an extended truce and humanitarian aid to Gaza as he met his Brazilian and Malaysian counterparts as well as the United Nations head on Tuesday, a day ahead of chairing a high-level council meeting.
“China’s position is clear … a comprehensive ceasefire should be realised, so as to avoid further humanitarian disasters,” Wang told Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, at the world body’s headquarters in New York.
Last week, Beijing hosted foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority countries trying to rally the international community to end hostilities.
The Security Council should reach another consensus, Wang told his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira in a separate meeting, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.
“We should seek a new consensus in the council to promote a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, the release of detainees and a return to the two-state solution, which is the fundamental solution to the Palestine problem,” Wang said.
Vieira said Brazil stood ready to work closely with China to promote new action by the Security Council and to forge a unified voice, the readout said.
“Brazil expects China to play an influential and leading role, and is ready to work closely with China to promote new action by the Security Council, and to [speak in] a unanimous and clear voice,” Vieira.
During his meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, Wang emphasised that preventing a resurgence in fighting and the spread of humanitarian disasters was a position that every responsible country should take.
The three meetings came with less than 24 hours to go before the Security Council meeting on the Israel-Gaza conflict, to be hosted by Wang. China’s month-long rotating presidency of the council ends on Thursday.
Wang said Wednesday’s high-level meeting comes at a crucial time, being the last day of a temporary ceasefire. It will aim to push the council to reach a consensus on a ceasefire, a lasting peace and a unified voice on the conflict, he told Zambry, repeating comments made to the other leaders.
On Friday, a four-day humanitarian ceasefire mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States was put into effect, temporarily halting Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip. A deal to extend the ceasefire by two days was announced on Monday.
Egyptian media reports on Wednesday said that a preliminary understanding had been reached to extend the truce by another two days. The reports quoted Egyptian officials, but there has been no official confirmation as yet.
