Palestinian president begins state visit to China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday began his four-day state visit to China.

Abbas, on his fifth official trip to China, is in Beijing at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Hua Chunying, the spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry.

He is the first Arab state leader to be hosted by Xi this year as China and Palestine mark 35 years of their diplomatic relations.

Beijing has described Abbas as “an old and good friend of the Chinese people.”

Xi last met Abbas in Riyadh last December to attend the first-ever China-Gulf Council Cooperation summit, where he said the China-Palestine friendship is “deeply cherished by their people.”

Last week, Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters: "The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue and matters to the region’s peace and stability and global equity and justice.”

Wang said China has “all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights.”