Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit China next week after China expressed to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Last year, President Xi visited Saudi Arabia where he met Palestinian President Abbas and pledged to mediate Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations which have been stalled since 2014.
What he termed as “a just and durable solution to the Palestinian issue”.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, president of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday.
Since March when China brokered the restoration of ties between gulf arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, the region is witnessing increasing Chinese activities.
Experts believe that China is looking to build and show its newly-acquired skills in the clumsy geopolitics on the success of its hosting of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Emboldened, China has been trying to position itself as a mediator in the Middle East.
However, China failed in its effort in 2017 when a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli delegations in Beijing led to nothing.
While the US has been playing a crucial role in the Middle East as the powerbroker, the recent episode has severely dented its image as a long-terms ally.
In fact, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saudi Arabia was not being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing, striking a conciliatory tone amid growing tensions.
Again, this week, Blinken has sought to mediate Israel-Palestinian tension, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts that his country was willing to aid peace negotiations.
While the basis of the peace talks remains on resolving a “two-state solution”, Beijing has emphasised “neutrality” in its effort.
Israel maintains good ties with both — China and the US. Economic relations are the important hallmark of their relations.
While the Sino-Israeli bilateral trade has doubled from $9.8 billion in 2011 to $18.2 billion in 2021, the US-Israel bilateral trade increased to nearly $50 billion by 2023.
China has also invested $10.6 billion into Israel over a decade.
The magnitude of such economic relations between Israel and China will pose challenges to the resolution.