The brief statement said Wang met Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Sunday and “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues”, without further elaboration.
The Jerusalem Post, citing Hamas, reported that Haniyeh told the Chinese envoy that the war needed to end quickly. He also said Israel must withdraw its forces from Gaza and an independent Palestinian state should be established.
According to the report, Wang said China was “keen on relations” with Hamas, which he called a “part of the Palestinian national fabric”.
Wang is the first diplomat China has sent to Palestine and Israel since the war erupted in October. Last week, he visited the West Bank and met the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki. There, he said China was renewing its call for an immediate ceasefire and a “two-state” solution as a political settlement.
Wang also held talks with Hagai Shagrir, head of the Israeli foreign ministry’s Asia and Pacific bureau, and Rachel Feinmesser, the head of the ministry’s policy research centre.
In Gaza at Ramadan, starvation adds to deaths amid Israel-Hamas truce impasse
In Gaza at Ramadan, starvation adds to deaths amid Israel-Hamas truce impasse
Its foreign minister Wang Yi last year held separate calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts while other Chinese officials have discussed the situation with various countries in the Middle East.
But China has not condemned Hamas or referred to the group as a terrorist organisation, which analysts earlier suggested might prompt countries, including Israel, to view Beijing’s efforts as unbalanced.
Source: scmp.com
