Chinese FM elaborates on China's stance on turmoil in Middle East

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday elaborated on China's stance on the current turmoil in the Middle East.

The pressing task is to immediately cease fire, stop violence and ease the humanitarian crisis, Wang said. The fundamental way out is to adhere to political settlement and resume dialogue and negotiation, while the basic principle is to support self-determination and avoid external interference.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when asked about China's views on the current conflicts in the Middle East at a joint press meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Beijing.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, the Middle East has seen one wave of violence after another, Wang said, pointing out that the instability and frequent conflicts in the Middle East had seriously affected international peace and security.

Wang called on all relevant parties to abide by the resolutions of the UN Security Council, cease actions that stimulate the escalation of regional tensions and avoid setting up new obstacles for the realization of ceasefire.

The UN Security Council should earnestly shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, and all UN Security Council members should make active contributions to this end, rather than making trouble.

"We should give top priority to the well-being of people in the region and regional security and stability, continue our efforts for dialogue and consultation, maintain the momentum of regional reconciliation driven by the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, resolve differences through inclusiveness, enhance mutual trust through cooperation, and build a new sustainable security architecture in the Middle East on the basis of the consensus of accommodating each other's concerns," he said.

Wang stressed that the Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, while the future and destiny of the countries in the Middle East should have long been in the hands of the local people themselves.

The international community should earnestly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region, truly proceed according to the merits of the matters themselves and the international fairness and justice, and assist rather than replace regional countries in finding solutions to conflicts.

Wang emphasized that stability is the premise of development, and development is the driving force of stability. It is expected that all countries in the Middle East will put aside their past feuds, resolve their grudges, put the overall peaceful development in the Middle East first, and jointly safeguard and build the region, he said.

"In this process, China, as a sincere friend of all countries in the Middle East, will continue to be a defender of peace and stability in the region, a promoter of development and prosperity, a supporter of unity and independence, and become a long-term trust-worthy partner of all countries in the Middle East," Wang noted.