UPDATE II - 'Disgrace for civilization': China’s top diplomat reiterates call for cease-fire in Gaza

UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS; CHANGES HEADER

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated his call for a cease-fire in Gaza on Thursday, stressing the need for peace, stability, and international solidarity.

“There is no distinction between noble and humble lives and life should not be labeled by race or religion," Wang said, referring to the more than 30,700 deaths in the Palestinian enclave since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.

“The failure to end this humanitarian disaster today, in the 21st century, is a tragedy for humanity and disgrace for civilization," he regretted.

"Nothing justifies the protraction of the conflict or the killing of the civilian population,” he added, calling on the international community to act “immediately” to achieve a cease-fire.

Addressing the ministry’s annual news conference at the ongoing National People's Congress in Beijing, Wang said people in Gaza have a “right to life in this world.”

The news conference was live-streamed from Beijing with simultaneous English translations provided by state-run CGTN.

Calling for the release of “all detainees,” he said “the calamity in Gaza is another call to people that the long occupation of Palestine should not be ignored.”

“Injustice should not be allowed to continue,” he said, insisting that the two-state solution was the “only way to end the vicious cycle of violence.”

Extending China's support for Palestine’s full UN membership, Wang said the solution to Palestine would “ensure peace in the Middle East.”

China stands for a comprehensive and lasting solution to Palestine, he added.

Wang reiterated China's call for a "more broad-based, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference" to frame a timetable for the two-state solution.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 30,700 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,000 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

- Relations with US

Wang characterized China’s bilateral relations with the US as “critical to the well-being” of the two peoples and the world.

He recalled President Xi Jinping’s proposal for relations with the US as those based on “mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win” cooperation.

China’s policy on relations with the US is “stable and persistent,” Wang said, adding “conflict and confrontation between the US and China would have unimaginable consequences.”

He said relations with the US had improved since a meeting in San Francisco last year between Xi and his US counterpart Joe Biden.

However, Wang regretted that the US “misperception towards China continues.”

“The US is devising various tactics against China,” he alleged, questioning the “credibility” of Washington “if the US says one thing and does another.”

Pushing back against hegemony and monopoly in international relations, Wang said “the challenge to the US comes from itself, not from China.”

“We urge the US to be clear-eyed about the trend of the times, view China’s development objectively and rationally, engage in exchanges with China proactively and pragmatically, and act to fulfill its commitments,” he said.

- Relations with Russia, EU

Wang said China’s relations with Russia were a “strategic choice by the two sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples.”

“China and Russia have forged a new paradigm of major country relations that differs entirely from the obsolete Cold War approach -- non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party,” he said, recalling that bilateral trade had surpassed $200 billion last year.

Wang urged the European Union to work with China for multilateralism and promoting dialogue between civilizations.

As partners, Wang said cooperation and autonomy were “key,” while a “win-win” approach with a “green light” was the future between the EU and Beijing.

He pushed back on characterizing relations between Beijing and the bloc as a “partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time."

“It is not viable,” he added.

On the Ukraine war, Wang said all conflicts end at the table, hoping for steps that ensure security for all.

"China supports the holding in due course of an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans," he said.

To end tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said the way forward was dialogue between the divided Koreas.

"The Korean Peninsula issue has a clear root cause and also a ready script. The imperative now is to desist from acts of deterrence and applying pressure and move out of the spiral of escalating confrontation. The fundamental solution lies in resuming negotiations for peace and addressing the legitimate security concerns of all parties, especially those" of North Korea," he said.

On tensions in the disputed South China Sea, Wang called for maintaining peace and stability in one of the largest waterways in the world.

"Differences should be resolved through the parties directly involved and peace at sea should be upheld by China and ASEAN nations," he said.

Urging solutions to disputes in the South China Sea that are "acceptable to all" parties, Wang called out "countries from outside the region" for their interference in the region.

- Peaceful reunification of Taiwan

Wang said the presidential and legislative elections held in Taiwan last January were “local elections in one part of China.”

He added, however, that “separatist” activities in Taiwan were the “most destructive.”

Beijing will continue to work for the peaceful reunification of Taiwan with mainland China, Wang said, stressing that it will “never allow Taiwan to be separated from the mainland.”

He warned that those who support “Taiwan independence” will get “burnt by fire.”

On Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies, he said they are “just interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

China considers Taiwan as its “own breakaway province,” while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.

"The stronger the commitment to the one-China principle is, the greater the guarantee for peace across the Taiwan Strait will be," Wang said.

- 'Spreading pessimistic views about China's economy will end up harming oneself'

Wang briefly shed light on China’s $18 trillion economy.

"Last year, China's economy grew by 5.2%. ... It shows that China remains strong as an engine for growth. The next China is still China," he said.

He said China's door is opening "more wider" while "new quality productive forces are taking shape at a faster pace."

"Spreading pessimistic views about China will end up harming oneself, and misjudging China will result in missed opportunities," Wang cautioned.

​​​​​​​Wang's comments on the economy came as Chinese Premier Li Qiang decided not to meet the press, in a break from past tradition.

On artificial intelligence (AI), Wang said China's focus is to "ensure three principles are met."

"First, ensure that AI is a force for good. Second, ensure safety. Third, ensure fairness. Attempts to create a 'small yard, high fence' in AI development would result in mistakes with historic consequences and undercut humanity’s ability to tackle risks and challenges," he said.

- Multipolar world ‘means equal rules for every nation’

Stressing equality in the international arena, Wang said an equal multipolar world “means equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules for every nation.”

“An orderly multipolar world means all should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” he said.

“Universally beneficial globalization means growing the economic pie and sharing it more fairly. Inclusive globalization means supporting countries in pursuing a development path suited to their own national conditions,” he added.