The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman reacted on Tuesday in response to the news published about the impending meeting between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah Movement and the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement in Beijing.
According to IRNA, quoting the French media, Lin Jian told during a press briefing that China has always supported all Palestinian parties to achieve reconciliation and unity through dialogue and negotiation.
Beijing is willing to develop dialogue, provide a platform and create opportunities for all Palestinian groups, Lin said, adding that China is also willing to strengthen relations with all parties and work hard to realize the goal of reconciliation among the Palestinians.
The statement came after the West Bank-based Fatah Movement announced that its officials would meet with their counterparts from the Gaza-based Hamas movement in Beijing this month.
According to sources, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political bureau chief, will be heading a delegation of the movement whereas the head of the delegation of the Fatah movement will be Mahmoud al-Awl.
On Monday night, the New York Times cited anonymous Palestinian officials as saying that the Hamas-Fatah meeting is being held as part of another effort by Beijing to resolve the differences between these two groups that have been competing with each other for years.
In April, Beijing hosted the first round of talks to reach a potential deal, and Chinese President Xi Jinping had previously also called for a peace summit to end the war in Gaza.
China has historically supported the cause of Palestine and has been in favor of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Beijing has also repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and described Israel's war on the Palestinian territory as "a tragedy for humanity and a disgrace to civilization."
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