Xi elaborates on China's position on Israel's war on Gaza, Ukraine crisis

Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined China's principled position on the Israeli invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave and the Ukraine crisis when he jointly met the press with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron here on Monday.

"The prolonged tragedy of the Israel's war on Gaza is a test of human conscience, and the international community must act", Xi said.

"China calls on all parties to work for an immediate, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza", he said.

"China supports the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations (UN) and supports restoring to Palestine its legitimate national rights and restarting the two-state solution, so as to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East," he added.

Xi stressed that China has stated its position on the Ukraine crisis on many occasions.

"China did not start the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to or a participant in it", Xi said.

The president noted that instead of being an onlooker, China has been playing an important role in peace.

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"The special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs is on his third round of shuttle diplomacy," he added.

At the same time, China opposes attempts to use the Ukraine crisis to scapegoat or smear a third country or to stoke a "new Cold War," he said.

"Noting that history has proven time and again that at the end of the day, conflicts can only be resolved through negotiation", Xi said.

"China calls on all parties to resume engagement and dialogue to build mutual trust."

Xi maintained that China supports holding at a proper time 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.

"China supports a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in Europe."