Xi pledges more Gaza aid, talks trade at summit with Arab leaders

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promised more humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states on Thursday in Beijing.

“Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated sharply, throwing people into tremendous suffering,” Xi said in an opening speech at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. “War must not continue indefinitely.”

He called for an international peace conference to resolve the Israel-Hamas war and pledged 500 million yuan ($69 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza. He also pledged to donate $3 million to a United Nations agency that provides assistance and relief to refugees from the Israel-Hamas war.

Beijing and Arab states support the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel faces growing international condemnation following its attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah in which at least 45 people were killed over the weekend. The total number of Palestinian deaths in the war exceeds 36,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Beijing has long supported the Palestinians and denounced Israel for its settlements in the occupied territories. He did not criticize the Hamas attack on October 7 – which killed around 1,200 Israelis – while the United States and others considered it an act of terrorism. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who spoke at the opening ceremony, praised China for supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

“I call on all active actors in the international community to assume their moral and legal responsibilities to put an end to the scandalous Israeli war,” said el-Sissi. “I further urge the international community to take immediate and decisive action to enforce the instant and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli siege and counter any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands,” he said. he. Sissi said.

In addition to addressing the war, the Chinese leader also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and healthcare.

The summit attended by heads of state from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia, among others, was expected to focus on expanding China’s trade ties and security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.

“China’s priorities in the region are primarily economic,” said Maria Papageorgiou, professor of politics and international relations at the University of Exeter. “It wants to continue the momentum established in recent years with the Gulf states and expand its investments, particularly in trade, technology (5G networks) and other cyber initiatives.”

Furthermore, China wants to present itself as an alternative to the West and a more credible partner for the region, which does not interfere in the internal affairs of nations or exert pressure, Papageorgiou said.

Xi and el-Sissi held a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, during which they signed a series of cooperation agreements in areas such as infrastructure, technology and food imports aimed at strengthening their ties.

China has invested billions of dollars in Egyptian state projects, including a Suez Canal economic zone and a new administrative capital east of Cairo. Investments between Egypt and China amounted to around $14 billion in 2023, compared to $16.6 billion in 2022, according to Egypt’s statistics agency.

Also participating in the forum were the President of Tunisia, Kais Saied, the President of the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the King of Bahrain, Hamad.

The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was created in 2004 as a formal dialogue mechanism between China and Arab States.

China is Tunisia’s fourth largest trading partner, after Germany, Italy and France. Beijing has financed hospitals and sports complexes in Tunisia and its companies have been hired to build strategic infrastructure such as bridges and deep-water ports in the Mediterranean.

The UAE also has expansive and growing economic relations with China and has faced US criticism over an alleged Chinese military facility being built in Abu Dhabi.

In addition to China’s expansive trade ties in the Middle East, the country has increasingly sought to play a diplomatic role in the region. In 2023, Beijing helped broker a deal that allowed Saudi Arabia and Iran to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of tension, in a role previously reserved for longtime global heavyweights such as the US and Russia.

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Mistreanu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press journalists Fatma Khaled in Cairo; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Sam Metz in Agadir, Morocco; and Beijing-based video producer Liu Zheng contributed to this report.