Saudi Gazette report

BEIJING — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said on Monday that China is keen on coordinating and working with Arab and Islamic countries to achieve a ceasefire and de-escalation in the Gaza Strip, and restore calm as quickly as possible. “Since the outbreak of the crisis in Gaza, his country has been working strongly to push for a ceasefire, protect civilians, allow humanitarian relief, and find a just solution to the Palestinian issue,” he said while meeting members of the Islamic Ministerial Committee, headed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

At the beginning of the meeting, Zheng appreciated the great efforts of the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on Nov. 11, and its decisions aimed at reducing escalation, protecting civilians, and restoring peace. He stressed China’s support for the efforts of the joint ministerial committee to continue its diplomatic efforts and play a bigger role in this regard.

Members of the committee who attended the meeting included Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shukri, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Al-Maliki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi, and Secretary of the Organization of Islamic CooperationHissein Brahim Taha.

On their part, members of the committee praised the positions taken by China regarding the crisis in the Gaza Strip, which are consistent with Arab and Islamic positions. They highlighted the positive role played by China in the Security Council towards a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting also discussed developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip and the importance of reaching an immediate ceasefire, protecting unarmed civilians, and vital installations, including places of worship and hospitals. The storming of Al-Shifa Hospital by the Israeli forces, and attacks on the Indonesian Hospital, the Jordanian Field Hospital, and relief and shelter centers in the Gaza Strip were also figured in the talks.

Meanwhile, members of the Ministerial Committee stressed the importance of immediately stopping the military escalation and forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and quickly introducing the necessary humanitarian aid to avoid the spread of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. The extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit, held in Riyadh, issued a resolution that tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine to initiate immediate international action on behalf of all member states of the OIC and the Arab League.

The ministers pointed out the importance of avoiding further killing of civilians, calling for the international community to take effective action to deal with the crisis and address all the ongoing violations by the Israeli occupation forces and their repeated violations of international law and international humanitarian law