BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a state visit to China.
Welcoming President Abbas at the Great Hall of the People, President Xi recalled their joint attendance at the first China-Arab States Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the end of last year and their bilateral meeting during which many important common understandings were reached.
He thanked President Abbas for sending a congratulatory letter last March on his re-election as the Chinese president.
Noting that President Abbas is the first Arab head of state hosted by China this year, President Xi said the visit spoke volumes about the strength of China-Palestine relations.
He stressed that China and Palestine were good friends and good partners who trusted and supported each other. China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine and had all along firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, he added.
“Facing unprecedented changes in the world and the new developments in the Middle East, China stands ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Palestine, and work for a comprehensive, just and durable solution of the Palestinian question at an early date,” President Xi said.
The two presidents also jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Palestine. It would serve as an important milestone in bilateral relations that builds on past achievements and heralds a brighter future, he said.
China would seize the opportunity to work with Palestine to advance bilateral friendship and cooperation in all areas, President Xi added.
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