BEIJING: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
The president of the State of Palestine will make the visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement.
Abbas is the first head of state of an Arab country China is set to receive this year, which showcases the high level of relations between China and Palestine, Wang Wenbin, another spokesperson for the ministry, told a regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday afternoon.
Calling Abbas “an old, good friend” of the Chinese people, Wang highlighted the traditional friendship between the two sides, saying that China was among the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine.
He noted the solid political trust and deepened friendship between the two sides over the years and expressed readiness to take the relationship to a higher level.
The Palestine question, which has always been the core issue in the Middle East, concerns regional peace and stability and international fairness and justice, said Wang.
China has always firmly supported the Palestinian people in their just cause to restore their legitimate national rights, he added.
For ten consecutive years, President Xi has sent congratulatory messages to the special commemorative meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, said Wang.
He added that the Chinese president has, on many occasions, put forward China’s proposals for resolving the Palestinian question, stressing the need to resolutely advance a political settlement based on the two-state solution and intensify international efforts for peace.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts for the early achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, said the spokesperson.
