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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said on the phone with his Israeli colleague that “all countries” have the right to defend themselves. This is reported by the AFP news agency with reference to a transcript published by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“All countries have the right to self-defense,” Wang Yi told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. However, he pointed out that one “must follow international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians”.
China’s top diplomat also emphasized that China will “do its utmost” to support measures that “aim for peace”.
China has so far avoided explicitly distancing itself from terror-labeled Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on October 7, when more than 1,400 Israelis, most of them civilians, were killed. In addition, over 200 people were taken hostage.
In the past, Wang Yi has claimed that Israel’s response to the attacks went beyond pure self-defense.
The US has expressed a hope that China’s friendship with Iran, which supports Hamas, could help calm the conflict. Earlier this year, Beijing succeeded in easing tensions between Iran and arch-enemy Saudi Arabia.
– The most pressing issue now is to prevent the situation from escalating further and the humanitarian situation from worsening, Wang told Cohen.
He also underlined China’s position that a two-state solution is the only viable solution to the conflict.