China, U.S. exchange views on Mideast

Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanged views on the Palestine-Israel conflict during a telephone conversation on Wednesday, and they agreed to maintain communication on the Middle East situation.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the most urgent task is to achieve an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

At the crossroads between war and peace, major countries need to uphold fairness and justice, maintain objectivity and rationality, and spare no effort to de-escalate the tension and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster, he said.

Wang emphasized that any solution to the current Gaza crisis must adhere to the two-state solution and reflect the will of the Palestinian people for the future of Palestine.

China maintains that the core of the solution lies in respecting Palestine's right to statehood and self-determination while pursuing a "Palestinian-owned, Palestinian-led "approach, with Palestinians governing Palestine, he said, adding that China is willing to work with all parties to achieve this goal.

Blinken briefed Wang about his recent visits to the Middle East as well as U.S. views about the development of the Palestinian situation, saying the U.S. is in favor of implementing the two-state solution.

The telephone conversation came following the summit meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco in mid-November. During that meeting, the two heads of state established what has been called the "San Francisco vision", oriented toward the future and outlining a blueprint for the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

During the phone talks, Wang urged Washington to work with Beijing to solidify the momentum of maintaining stability in bilateral relations, and to promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of the countries' ties.

He underlined that it is a crucial task for both sides to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state during their summit meeting, and to turn the "San Francisco vision", which is of landmark importance for both countries, into reality.

Wang reiterated China's firm position on the Taiwan question and urged the U.S. not to interfere in China's internal affairs or support any "Taiwan independence" forces.

Blinken expressed his gratitude to Wang for his visit to the U.S. embassy in China on Tuesday to mourn the passing of former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who died on Nov 29 at the age of 100.

Wang said that Kissinger consistently advocated mutual respect and shared development between China and the U.S., and he also emphasized on many occasions that the U.S. needs to fully understand the importance of the Taiwan question to China.