BEIJING: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will make a state visit to China next week, Beijing said on Friday, after China expressed readiness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Beijing has positioned itself as a mediator in the Middle East, brokering the restoration of ties in March between Iran and Saudi Arabia -- rivals in a region where the United States has for decades been the main powerbroker.“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, president of the state of Palestine Mahmud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday. Beijing has sought to boost its ties to the Middle East, challenging long-standing US influence there -- efforts that have drawn rebukes from Washington.