Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, China says

Any arrangement on the future of Gaza must respect the will of the Palestinian people, while post-war governance in the region must follow the principle of "the Palestinians governing Palestine", Vice-Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said on Friday.

Chen reaffirmed Beijing's position over Gaza during a group meeting with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries to China, at which he said that China is willing to continue close communication and coordination on the Palestinian question with Arab countries.

The meeting was held after a recent proposal made by the Trump Administration for the United States to take over Gaza, displace the population and redevelop it into a "Middle Eastern Riviera".

Chen stressed in the meeting that "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people", and is an inalienable part of the territory of Palestine.

China firmly supports the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, and supports the Palestinian National Authority in exercising effective governance over all Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank, he said.

China also supports the realization of the two-state solution as the fundamental way forward, and for an early, just political settlement of the Palestinian question, namely, the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 border and with East Jerusalem as its capital, Chen added.

Diplomatic envoys from Arab countries expressed firm opposition to the "clean out" proposal, which they said violates international law and international humanitarian law, as well as relevant United Nations resolutions.

They expressed appreciation to China's just stance regarding the issue, and expecting Beijing to continue to play a constructive role in upholding international justice and supporting the legitimate national rights of Palestine.