Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions and witnesses the signing of a declaration on ending division and strengthening unity by 14 Palestinian factions, in Beijing on July 23, 2024. Photo: VCG

China has made another significant contribution to the peace and stability of a world in turbulence as 14 factions from Palestine, including Fatah and Hamas, with key support from China, reached a historic declaration for nationwide reconciliation in Beijing on Tuesday. Experts said it will be one of key steps for the Palestinian people to achieve their goal of establishing a state and the realization of long-standing peace between Palestine and Israel.

The same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also kicked off his visit to China. At present, the two most serious hot spot issues and conflicts in the world - the Gaza conflict and the Ukraine crisis - are continually causing bloodshed for the local people and adding concerns to achieving global peace and recovery. It seems like China is now becoming a hot place for different countries who are suffering from chaos and wars around the globe to seek peaceful solutions, said some observers.  

The latest and upcoming events on the Palestine issue and the Ukraine crisis prove that China, which always upholds its stance for peace, is not just talking the talk, but is taking concrete actions to contribute to political settlements, despite the US and US-led military alliances like NATO continuing to add uncertainties and obstacles. China will continue with its efforts to ensure that peace processes in different regions of the world can be delivered eventually, said analysts.  

Historic declaration for Palestine

At the invitation of the Chinese side, high-level representatives of 14 Palestinian factions held a reconciliation dialogue in Beijing from Sunday to Tuesday, and the Palestinian factions inked the Beijing Declaration on ending division and strengthening unity, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

It is the first time that 14 Palestinian factions have gathered in Beijing for a reconciliation dialogue, bringing precious hope to the suffering Palestinian people.

The core outcome of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions held in Beijing is to specify that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions. He also witnessed the signing of the declaration on ending division and strengthening unity by 14 Palestinian factions.

Wang pointed out that only when Palestinian factions speak as one can the voice of justice be loud and clear, and only when they join hands and march forward shoulder to shoulder can they succeed in their national liberation cause.

Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the declaration is absolutely historic, significant and unprecedented. First, in the past, the reconciliation dialogue held by major regional powers in the Middle East was just between Fatah and Hamas, but this time, China gathered together representatives of 14 factions, and this means the declaration has the greatest inclusiveness and legitimacy, and is one that is acceptable to all major political factions within Palestine.  

"Second, it makes the reconciliation process of Palestine no longer merely regional affair, but an issue that matters to international peace under the international watch. Therefore, the declaration is not just a document, but a feasible roadmap with international support and supervision from not only regional major countries but permanent members of the UN Security Council," Ma said.

Third, specifying that the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people means that all other factions, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, need to join or reunify with the PLO, so Palestine will be able to have new elections and deal with the outside world as a unified country, and this is important for the future of Palestine-Israel issue, Ma noted. 

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, diplomatic envoys to China or their representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Turkey as well as representatives from 14 main Palestinian factions attended the closing ceremony.

Road to peace

Wang said at the closing ceremony that "To help get out of the current conflict and predicament, China proposes a three-step initiative: The first step is to achieve comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground."

"The second step is to make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of 'Palestinians governing Palestine.' Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine."

"The third step is to help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution," the Chinese foreign minister said. 

Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Beijing Declaration brings hope for peace in Gaza. Since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in Gaza on October 7, 2023, people have suffered a lot of casualties, and the international community has been limited in helping end the disaster. Now the reconciliation within Palestine can lay the foundations for effective peace talks between Palestine and Israel.

Ma echoed that now is the time for Israel and the US to consider how to deal with Palestine as a whole, rather than treating different Palestinian factions separately. 

The US is undergoing domestic turmoil in the wake of US President Joe Biden stepping down from the presidential race and the failed assassination of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The international community, including US rivals, competitors and allies, are all very concerned about a potential change in US foreign strategy, and unfortunately, the US is still trying to hype bloc confrontations worldwide, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, experts said.

Apart from the peace hopes for Palestine, observers expect that top Ukrainian diplomat Kuleba's visit to China will see new achievements that could help bring about a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis in the same way representatives from the 14 factions of Palestine achieved in Beijing on Tuesday. They also recalled that China previously successfully mediated the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and are convinced that China will continue to play a significant role to restore peace and stability for the world in turbulence.