Interview: President Abbas’ visit to China will further strengthen Pakistan-China relations——Interview with Fatah Central Committee Member Zaki

Xinhua News Agency, Ramallah, June 12th Interview: President Abbas’ visit to China will further strengthen Pakistan-China relations——Interview with Fatah Central Committee Member Zaki

Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Weijian

Abbas Zaki, member of the Central Committee of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and Minister of Arab Relations and Chinese Affairs, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Xinhua in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the friendly relations between Palestine and China have a long history. , Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s upcoming state visit to China will lay the foundation for further consolidation of bilateral relations.

Zaki pointed out in the interview that China and Palestine are “friends closer than brothers”. China is one of the first countries to support the just cause of the Palestinian people and recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). One of the countries that established diplomatic relations. This year coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. The two countries have always supported each other in their core interests. China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and firmly supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is of great significance to Palestine.

Zaki said that the Western countries headed by the United States have long viewed the Middle East with the thinking of “imperialism” and “colonialism”, which has brought huge disasters to countries in the region. Including the issue of Palestine, the United States and other Western countries have long been “biased” and practiced double standards, which has prevented the legitimate rights and demands of the Palestinian people from being guaranteed and resolved for a long time.

Zaki appreciated President Xi Jinping’s “four-point proposal” on resolving the Palestinian issue, and appreciated China’s efforts to promote the Palestine-Israel peace process. He said that China has always placed the Palestine issue at the top of the international agenda and called for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the issue. Earlier this month, China announced that it will make another donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which fully demonstrates China’s support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Zaki thanked China for its support to the Palestinian people at the United Nations and other levels. On the basis of the sound development of Pakistan-China relations, Abbas’ visit to China will further consolidate the existing achievements. He also said that Abbas’s visit will focus on the “Arab Peace Initiative” and he expects China to continue to play a greater role in the Palestine-Israel issue.

Talking about the first China-Arab Summit to be held in December 2022, Zaki said that this is a milestone summit in the history of Arab-Chinese relations, drawing a blueprint for the future development of Arab-Chinese friendly cooperation. It is worth mentioning that Abbas will be the first Arab head of state to visit China after the summit, reflecting the importance China attaches to promoting the settlement of the Palestinian issue.

Zaki also said that in March this year, China successfully facilitated the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which is an important practice of China’s global security initiative. Zaki believes that the successful reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran proves that the political landscape in the Middle East is changing, and the awareness of unity and independence among countries in the region is gradually increasing.