Xi floats three-point proposal to resolve Palestine dispute

Chinese President Xi Jinping has floated a three-point proposal to resolve the Palestine dispute during his meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Wednesday.

At the invitation of President Xi, his Palestinian counterpart Abbas is on an official visit to China from June 13 to 16.

Xi told Abbas at a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People that China was "ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Palestinian side".

"Today, we will jointly announce the establishment of a China-Palestine strategic partnership, which will be an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations," the Chinese president said.

Xi stressed that the Palestinian dispute has remained unresolved for over half a century, causing great sufferings to the Palestinian people; justice must be done to Palestine as soon as possible, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

The fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital, he added.

He also urged the international community to step up development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine.

President Xi said it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks and the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem should be respected, and excessive and provocative words and actions should be avoided.

"China supports Palestine in becoming a full member State of the United Nations," Xi was quoted as saying by CCTV.

A large-scale, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference should be convened so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks and contribute tangible efforts to help Palestine and Israel live in peace, President Xi said.

"China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks," Xi said.

Beijing has sought to boost its ties in the Middle East, challenging US influence -- efforts that have sparked unease in Washington.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called long-time Palestinian leader Abbas an "old and good friend of the Chinese people" during a regular media briefing last week.

Finding a lasting solution to Israeli-Palestinian tensions may prove elusive, as peace negotiations between the two sides have been stalled since 2014.

— With additional input from AFP