BEIJING: In response to a request from the United States to use its influence to stop the Israel-Palestine conflict from spreading, China is sending its special envoy to the Middle East, aiming to mediate in the ongoing conflict.
Following a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China decided to intervene. The conflict escalated on October 7 when Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group, launched a surprise attack on Israel. Since then, unrelenting Israeli airstrikes have led to the destruction of neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of at least 2,750 innocent Palestinian civilians, Palestinian authorities said.
China’s special envoy, Zhai Jun, is expected to visit the region this week. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that Zhai’s visit aims “to pool international consensus, urge relevant parties to stop hostilities, cool down the situation, and create necessary conditions for political settlement.”
China’s Diplomatic Efforts to Contain War
Experts speculate that China’s involvement, while significant, might face challenges due to the complexity of the conflict. Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, highlighted that Beijing’s impact on the Israel-Palestine conflict could be weaker.
Read Also: China’s FM Identifies ‘Injustice’ Against Palestinians as Root Cause of Conflict
Manoj Kewalramani from India’s Takshashila Institution noted that the conflict allows China to question Western hypocrisy regarding international law and human rights. Kewalramani emphasized that the absence of Western leaders discussing the proportionality of Israel’s response provides China with an opportunity to challenge the West’s claims of upholding a ‘rules-based order.’
