Do China and Russia have the solution to stop Gaza siege?
(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 13, 2019, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and China's President Xi Jinping attend the 11th edition of the BRICS Summit in Brasilia. - Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a state visit to Russia on March 20, 2023, a trip Beijing has touted as a "visit for peace" as it seeks to play mediator in Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. (Photo by Sergio LIMA / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images)
If Joe Biden doesn’t have the answer to resolve the Gaza crisis, then the Russians and Chinese do.
According to international news wire reports on Friday, October 20th, China and Russia have the same views about the conflict as well as how to resolve it, in the form of a two state solution.
Analysts say that China wants to play a role as a chief mediator and exert its influence in the region, noting that the US no longer has the hegemony that it once had there. But the latest Gaza war has drawn the US back in, with President Joe Biden visiting Israel just recently.
Unlike the West which fails to recognise the basis of the conflict – Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank – China and Russia tackle the subject head on in their analysis of the situation.
Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy to the Middle East, spoke after a meeting in Qatar with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa.
“The fundamental reason for the current situation of the Palestine-Israel conflict is that the Palestinian people’s lawful national rights have not been guaranteed,” Zhai said, according to a statement released on Friday by the Chinese foreign ministry.
“China and Russia have the same position on the Palestine question, and China is ready to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to promote de-escalation of the situation,” Zhai said.
The two countries want to “play a positive role in resuming talks for peace between Palestine and Israel, truly implementing the two-state solution, and promoting a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question at an early date,” Zhai said.
China sent Zhai to the Middle East to push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the latest sign of its ambition to play a larger role in the region although there seems to be no sign of this happening.
The two sides however confirmed their “unwavering focus on closely coordinating efforts for the political settlement of this and other crises in the Middle East and North Africa region,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, according to the country’s Tass state news agency.
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China, which sees the US as too pro-Israel, has said it opposes attacks on civilians, but hasn’t condemned the initial Hamas attack that started the latest war. Instead, it has called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians as Israel bombards Gaza before a possible ground invasion.
“We believe that when dealing with hot spot issues in the international community, major powers should be objective and impartial,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.
In his meeting with Bogdanov, Zhai said Beijing was saddened by “a great number of civilian casualties caused by the Palestine-Israel conflict and the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Palestine.”
Zhai also met with Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
Mao, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that Zhai would travel to other Middle Eastern countries, but she didn’t give any further details.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week that “Egypt and other Arab countries highly appreciate China’s consistent and just position on the Palestinian question and expect China to play a bigger role in solving the current crisis,” according to a Chinese statement on their meeting.
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