Chinese envoy meets Hamas political leader in Qatar to discuss ‘Gaza conflict and other issues’

Wang Kejian and Ismail Haniyeh talk in first meeting between a Chinese official and the militant group since Israel-Gaza war began

Haniyeh reportedly told Beijing’s envoy the war must end quickly; Wang said China was ‘keen on relations’ with Hamas, says newspaper

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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meets Wang Kejian, an envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in Qatar on Sunday afternoon to discuss the war in Gaza. Photo: X/@soupalestina

Published: 1:21pm, 19 Mar 2024Updated: 8:01pm, 19 Mar 2024

China’s foreign ministry envoy Wang Kejian has met the head of Hamas’ political bureau in the first known meeting between a Chinese official and the militant group since the Gaza conflict broke out last year.

In a brief statement on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said Wang met Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Sunday and “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues”, without further elaboration.

The Jerusalem Post, citing Hamas, reported that Haniyeh told the Chinese envoy that the war needed to end quickly. He also said Israel must withdraw its forces from Gaza and an independent Palestinian state should be established.

According to the report, Wang said China was “keen on relations” with Hamas, which he called a “part of the Palestinian national fabric”.

Wang is the first diplomat China has sent to Palestine and Israel since the war erupted in October. Last week, he visited the West Bank and met the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki. There, he said China was renewing its call for an immediate ceasefire and a “two-state” solution as a political settlement.

Wang also held talks with Hagai Shagrir, head of the Israeli foreign ministry’s Asia and Pacific bureau, and Rachel Feinmesser, the head of the ministry’s policy research centre.

Since the conflict began, China has sought to play a role by releasing its own five-point position paper on the crisis, which urged the United Nations Security Council to draw up a “concrete” timeline and road map for a two-state solution.