Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Chinese President Xi Jinping told Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Thursday (19/10/2023) that their countries must work together to create “greater stability” in the Middle East, as the Israel-Hamas war looms over the region.
The conflict has flared since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people – mostly civilians – and taking around 200 hostage.
In response, Israel surrounded Gaza, launched a wave of airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave, imposed a blockade and deployed troops on its borders ahead of an expected ground offensive.
Top UN humanitarian official Martin Griffiths on Wednesday said the situation in Gaza was dire, with hospitals overwhelmed, more than 3,000 Gazans dead and 12,500 injured.
China has repeatedly supported vague two-state proposals over decades of stalemate before the war, but it has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause – although it favors the nationalist Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) over the Islamist Hamas.
Meanwhile, Xi met with Madbouly in Beijing, reiterating China’s support for “a two-state solution… to realize peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel”.
“China is willing to increase cooperation with Egypt… and provide more certainty and stability in the region and the world,” Xi said, as reported by AFP.
Beijing is also willing to work with Cairo to “jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries”, he said.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, Egypt has continued to close its border with Gaza, where the humanitarian situation has become increasingly dire.
However, Cairo on Thursday said it would allow a “sustained” flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave via the Rafah crossing.
China “appreciates the important role Egypt played in de-escalating the situation and supports Egypt’s efforts to open humanitarian corridors”, Xi told Madbouly.
“It is very important to prevent the conflict from spreading or even losing control and causing a serious humanitarian crisis,” Xi said.
“The top priority is a ceasefire and early war,” he added.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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Originally posted 2023-10-19 07:30:00.