Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian hosted regular press conference on May 20, 2021.

The Paper: It is learned that Zhai Jun, China's special envoy for Middle East affairs, had telephone conversations with officials of the Palestinian and Egyptian foreign ministries to promote the deescalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Can you brief us on what China has done to ease the tensions between Palestine and Israel?

Zhao Lijian: Since the outbreak of the Palestine-Israel conflict, China has played the role of a responsible major country and done a lot of constructive work. As the rotating president of the UN Security Council, China has given top priority to addressing the current Palestine-Israel conflict. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired an open debate on the issue at the Security Council and put forward China's views and proposals. China has made every effort to urge the Security Council to speak with one voice and take concrete actions. However, because of the US obstruction, the Security Council has yet to reach a consensus so far.

China has never stopped its peace efforts. China has actively participated in mediation and good offices through its own channels and in its own way. Recently, Zhai Jun, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government for the Middle East, had telephone conversations with officials of the Palestinian and Egyptian foreign ministries respectively and conducted active mediation. He called for an immediate ceasefire and stop of violence, urged for more assistance to Palestine, and reaffirmed the firm commitment to the "two-state solution". The special envoy will also have telephone conversations with people from Israel, Russia, the UN and the EU. As long as the conflict in the Middle East continues, China will not stop its efforts to promote peace talks. In the future, China will also host seminars for Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates and welcome representatives from Palestine and Israel to come to China for direct negotiations.

China appreciates the mediation efforts for a ceasefire by Egypt and other relevant parties. We stand ready to strengthen communication and coordination with all parties to make concerted efforts for peace, and to do our best to provide humanitarian and other assistance to Palestine.