Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (front row), who is also a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, poses for a photo with representatives of Palestinian factions in Beijing on July 23, 2024. /Chinese Foreign Ministry
At a time when the number of Palestinian victims of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which began in October last year, has risen to nearly 39,000, a three-day dialogue on reconciliation was held in Beijing. On Tuesday, the dialogue concluded with the signing of the Beijing Declaration by senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the move as a historic milestone for Palestine.
In the Beijing Declaration, the factions agreed on national unity within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Wang stressed that the key outcome is the establishment of an interim government of national reconciliation and the affirmation of the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The declaration also supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with UN resolutions.
Experts described this achievement as another major diplomatic victory for China in promoting peace in the Middle East. The move follows China's brokering of a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March 2023. Wang also congratulated the success of the dialogue and the signing of the declaration.
Rong Ying of the China Institute of International Studies considers the signing of the Beijing Declaration a milestone in Palestinian reconciliation. It is the first time since the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7, 2023, that the factions have reached an agreement on reconciliation. Yu Kuoqing of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stressed that reconciliation is essential for a unified Palestinian position on the international stage and for ending the Gaza conflict.
In addition, China has proposed that Palestine be granted full UN membership. Palestine has been a non-member observer state of the UN since November 2012, and nearly 150 countries, including China, have recognised it by June 2024.
The latest round of talks took place after the negotiations between Fatah and Hamas that took place in Beijing. Representatives of the factions praised China's efforts to support Palestinian reconciliation. Yu Kuoqing noted that only China was able to unite the different factions and stressed that China was not guided by its own interests but was striving for peace and stability in the region.
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