President Abbas Receives China’s Mideast Envoy

Ramallah, MINA – President Mahmoud Abbas received China’s Middle East Special Envoy, Gong Xiaosheng, on Saturday at the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah where the president is being hospitalized for lung infection.

The President thanked Xiaosheng for his visit and expressed his best wishes for the people and leadership of China for their support of the Palestinian cause in international forums, Wafa News Agency reported.

Earlier, Xiaosheng was received by the Secretary General of the Presidency Tayyib Abdul-Rahim at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, where they discussed the latest political developments and the recent Israeli crimes in Palestine.

Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas’ adviser for diplomatic affairs, said the visit was a token of support by China for the people of Palestine following the US relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem and recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.

He pointed out that during the last visit by President Abbas to China last year, the Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a four-point initiative that stressed China’s stand on the side of international resolutions and justice for the Palestinian people.

“We hope that it [China’s role] will grow and be more effective, especially since there is an opportunity to form a multilateral international mechanism for [peace] negotiations according to the plan proposed by President Mahmoud Abbas in the UN Security Council, which could be formed by the five permanent members of the Security Council,” Khalidi said.(R/R04/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)