9th October, 2023
China has rebuffed United States’ suggestion that it support Israel in its conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Instead China told the United States the path to peace.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer drew China’s response on Monday when it called on China to support Israel after attacks by Hamas last Saturday.
Hamas fighters killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more as they attacked Israeli towns, the deadliest incursion into Israeli territory since Egypt and Syria’s attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago.
Schumer said he was “disappointed” that Beijing showed “no sympathy” for Israel.
In response, China’s foreign ministry urged the “relevant parties” to remain calm and immediately end hostilities to protect civilians.
It added that “the fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine”.
Schumer is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Asia, which includes stops in South Korea and Japan. It aims to advance U.S. economic and national security interests, and in China, the group hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The ongoing events in Israel over the past few days are horrific. I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn these cowardly and vicious attacks,” Schumer said at a meeting with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, in Beijing.
“I was very disappointed, to be honest, by the Foreign Ministry statement that showed no sympathy or support for Israel during these troubled times,” he added.
Wang said it is hoped that this visit can help the United States understand China in a more precise manner and help Washington see China in a more objective way, while managing existing contradictions more reasonably.