Chinese president calls for realization of independent state of Palestine

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Emphasizing “common security,” China’s President Xi Jinping called for the realization of a legitimate independent state of Palestine.

To mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Xi said: “The bitter lessons of the cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict fully demonstrate that only by upholding the concept of common security can sustainable security be achieved.”

“The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue, and the crux of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the long overdue realization of the legitimate national right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state,” Xi said in a written message to the UN on Wednesday.

The Chinese leader urged the international community “to take urgent actions to address the Palestine-Israel conflict.”

He called on the UN Security Council to “shoulder its responsibilities and make every effort to facilitate a ceasefire, ensure the safety of civilians, and stop the humanitarian disaster.”

Reiterating China’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Xi said the Palestinian people's right to statehood and survival and their right to return should be restored as soon as possible.

“The only viable way to settle the Palestinian question lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.