Countries should stay impartial regarding Palestinian-Israeli conflict: FM

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday reiterated China’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying that major countries should stay objective and impartial, keep calm and exercise restraint when dealing with international and regional hot spot issues.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a telephone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a five-day trip to the Middle East.

The urgent task is to stop the fighting between Palestine and Israel so as to avoid exacerbating humanitarian disasters, Wang said, while urging the US to play a constructive role in bringing the issue back to the track of political settlement.

There is no way out by military means, and fighting violence with violence will only lead to a vicious circle, Wang said.

China condemns all acts that harm civilians and opposes any violation of international law, Wang said.

He called for opening up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage and supported the United Nations in building international consensus and the UN Security Council in playing its due role.

The answer to the Palestinian issue is the two-state solution and an independent State of Palestine, this is how Palestine and Israel could coexist in peace, he said.

There can be no peace in the Middle East without reconciliation between the Arabs and Israel, the foreign minister said.

China calls for convening an international peace conference as soon as possible to promote reaching broad consensus, he said.

Blinken said that the US supports the two-state solution, and supports the UN's role in de-escalating the Palestinian-Israeli situation and providing humanitarian assistance.

Washington stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Beijing, he said.

Wang and Blinken also exchanged views on China-US relations during the phone call.

A series of high-level contacts between the two sides has helped stabilized bilateral relations, which is welcomed by the people of the two countries and the international community, Wang said.

He said he hopes that the US will work on the same direction with China to remove obstacles, respect China's core interests and major concerns, so as to bring bilateral ties back to the track of stable development.

Blinken said that Washington will work with Beijing to manage their relationship in a responsible way.