China, Türkiye should strengthen cooperation for lasting solution to Palestine: Top diplomat Wang

By Emre Aytekin

BEIJING (AA) - Reiterating the call for a cease-fire in Gaza, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called for "strengthening cooperation" with Türkiye for a lasting solution to Palestine.

“The way out of the Palestine problem is a two-state solution. China and Türkiye support Palestine's membership in the UN,” Wang told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Beijing.

Earlier Tuesday, Wang and Fidan held bilateral talks in the Chinese capital.

The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing and Ankara “should accelerate efforts to reach a just, lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible by strengthening coordination.”

“China, Türkiye should strengthen cooperation, oppose all forms of hegemony and power politics, raise global governance to a fair level,” said Wang.

Fidan is on a three-day official visit to China where he held high-level talks with Chinese officials since Monday.

He was received by Han Zheng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice president.

Han told Fidan: “China is willing to work with Türkiye to fully implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries.”

The Chinese vice president also expressed Beijing’s willingness to “enhance political mutual trust, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, promote the high-quality B&R (Belt and Road) cooperation, and provide staunch support to each other in safeguarding their respective core interests to propel the strategic cooperation between the two sides to a new height.”

Following engagements in Beijing, the Turkish foreign minister is expected to visit the Chinese cities of Urumqi and Kashgar later on Tuesday, where he will stay until Wednesday.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and China were established in 1971, and bilateral relations were elevated to the level of "strategic cooperation" in 2010.

* Writing by Riyaz ul Khaliq in Istanbul.