Chinese President Xi calls for international peace conference as he opens summit with Arab leaders

(30 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beijing - 30 May 2024
1. Chinese President Xi Jinping walking to the podium
2. Wide of opening ceremony of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum
3. Mid of attendees
4. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Xi Jinping, Chinese President:
“War should not continue indefinitely. Justice should not be absent forever. Commitment to the two-state solution should not be wavered at will.”
5. Close of attendees
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Xi Jinping, Chinese President:
“China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. It supports Palestine’s full membership in the U.N., and supports a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference.”
7. Close of attendees
8. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Xi Jinping, Chinese President:
“In this interdependent world, we will further synergize development strategies with the Arab side. We will strengthen cooperation in key areas such as oil, gas, trade and infrastructure, step up fostering new growth areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), investment, financing and new energy, and embark together on an innovative and green path to prosperity.”

POOL
Beijing - 30 May 2024
9. Xi greeting Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
10. Various of leaders posing for group photo
STORYLINE:
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promised more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.

The summit attended by heads of state from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia among others was set to focus on China’s expanding trade ties and on security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.

"War should not continue indefinitely. Justice should not be absent forever," Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum

"Commitment to the two-state solution should not be wavered at will.”

Xi restated China's backing of a two-state solution and pledged 500 million yuan ($69 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

He also promised to donate $3 million to a United Nations agency that provides assistance and relief to refugees of the Israel-Hamas war.

Beijing and the Arab states back the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing international condemnation after the strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in which at least 45 were killed over the weekend.

The overall Palestinian death toll in the war exceeds 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Beijing has long backed the Palestinians and denounced Israel over its settlements in the occupied territories.

It has not criticized the initial Hamas attack on October 7 — which killed about 1,200 people — while the United States and others have called it an act of terrorism.

However, China does have growing economic ties with Israel.

Besides addressing the war, Xi also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care.

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