Egypt on Saturday hosted a "summit for peace" where UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for swift "action to end this godawful nightmare" after two weeks of war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Beijing's envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit on the sidelines of the summit.
The Chinese diplomat called for an "immediate ceasefire and an end to the fighting as quickly as possible", his ministry said in a statement.
"China believes that force is not a way to resolve the problem and that responding to violence with violence will only lead to a vicious circle of revenge," Zhai said according to the statement, which mentioned neither Israel nor Hamas.
Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.
Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign has killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
China has so far maintained good relations with Israel, but it has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and traditionally backs a two-state solution.
China said Thursday it was "deeply disappointed" by the United States' decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Washington justified its veto because the text did not mention Israel's right to defend itself.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was "crucial to prevent the conflict from expanding or even losing control and causing a serious humanitarian crisis", as he met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli in Beijing on Thursday.
China's Middle East envoy in Qatar for talks: foreign ministry
Beijing (AFP) Oct 20, 2023 -
China's Middle East envoy Zhai Jun was in Qatar, embarking on a Middle East visit that Beijing said Friday was part of a bid to "cool down" the Israel-Hamas war.
Zhai Jun met with Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov as well as Qatari top diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi in the capital Doha on Thursday, the foreign ministry said.
Both meetings saw the diplomats exchange views on the conflict between "between Palestine and Israel", Beijing said.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the country would work with Russia "to cool down the situation as soon as possible, and to play a positive role in resuming the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks".
"The current situation between Palestine and Israel is at a critical point," Zhai told the Qatari foreign minister.
Washington has said it hopes China's friendship with Hamas-backer Iran could help calm the conflict, particularly after Beijing brokered a detente between long-time foes Tehran and Riyadh this year.
Doha is host to a Hamas office, and the Gulf state has been engaged in intense diplomacy behind the scenes and has been linked to negotiations for a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas because of its open channels with the militant group.
"Qatar has an important influence on the Palestinian issue," Zhai said, adding that "China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with Qatar and play a constructive role in easing the current tensions."
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