The Chinese foreign minister reiterated Beijing’s call for an “immediate ceasefire” on Thursday March 7. “The fact that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian catastrophe cannot be stopped is a human tragedy, moreover, it is a shame for civilization,” Wang Yi said at a press conference in Beijing.
“We are in favor of Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations,” he said as the conflict between Israel and Hamas still rages in the Gaza Strip. “The long-standing desire of the Palestinian people to create an independent country can no longer be evaded,” he added. Although China maintains good relations with Israel, it has supported the Palestinian cause for several decades and traditionally advocates for a two-state solution.
“In the face of an unstable and complex international environment, China will resolutely be a force for peace, stability and progress in the world,” Wang also said, speaking on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese Parliament , the main political event of the year in China, which is traditionally an opportunity for the government to present the broad outlines of its economic and diplomatic policy.
Wang Yi's press conference comes at a time when China's growing political influence around the world is causing widespread concern among Westerners and some of its Asian neighbors.
New incidents in the China Sea
The leaders of Southeast Asian countries (Asean) and Australia warned on Wednesday against actions that “threaten peace” in the South China Sea, after new incidents between China and the Philippines in these disputed waters.
Chinese coast guard boats were accused Tuesday by the Philippines of harassing a flotilla of Filipino ships on a resupply mission near a disputed reef. Beijing accused Manila of deliberately trying to provoke an incident.
“We will defend our legitimate rights” in the area, Wang Yi stressed on Thursday. China claims almost all of the islands in the South China Sea. But other neighboring countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims and control several islets.
“We resolutely oppose all hegemony and intimidation and forcefully defend the sovereignty, security and development interests” of China, Wang Yi also underlined, in a clear reference to Washington.
China-Russia ties, a “new model for relations between great powers”
The United States “blames” China “under any pretext,” said the head of Chinese diplomacy. Bilateral tensions remain high on several issues: Taiwan, trade, new technologies, the struggle for influence in the Asia-Pacific and even human rights. “The means of pressure on China are constantly renewed and the list of unilateral sanctions constantly lengthened,” lamented Wang Yi.
The head of Chinese diplomacy also warned that Taiwanese political leaders seeking independence for the island, claimed by China and supported by the United States, will be “liquidated by history”.
Wang Yi also defended his country's good relations with Russia on Thursday, while China is criticized by the West on the Ukrainian issue. “China and Russia have created a new model for major power relations, which is completely different from the old Cold War era,” Wang Yi said. If Beijing seeks to position itself as a neutral party in the war, its strategic partnership with Moscow has strengthened since the start of the conflict.
