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Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an international peace conference on the Israel-Hamas war and promised more humanitarian aid as he opened a summit with Arab leaders in Beijing on Thursday.

 

Xi urged Arab states to enhance cooperation in trade, clean energy, space exploration, and healthcare.

 

The summit, attended by leaders from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, and others, focused on China’s trade ties and security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

 

“As war is raging causing tremendous suffering, justice can’t be absent and the two-state solution can’t be shaken,” Xi said at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

 

China and Arab states support the Palestinians, with Israel facing international condemnation after a strike in Rafah killed at least 45. The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 36,000 Palestinian deaths in the conflict.

 

Beijing has historically backed the Palestinians and criticised Israeli settlements, though it has not condemned the initial Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel which killed about 1,200 people.

 

Maria Papageorgiou from the University of Exeter noted, “China’s priorities in the region are primarily economic,” highlighting its desire to continue the momentum with the Gulf States and expand investments in trade, technology, and cyber initiatives.

 

China also aims to position itself as a credible partner alternative to the West, Papageorgiou added.

 

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who signed cooperation agreements with Xi on Wednesday, and leaders from Tunisia, the UAE, and Bahrain attended the forum.

 

China has invested heavily in Egyptian projects, with investments amounting to around $14 billion in 2023.

 

China is Tunisia’s fourth-largest trading partner, financing hospitals, sports complexes, and infrastructure projects. 

 

The UAE has growing economic ties with China, despite US criticism over an alleged Chinese military facility in Abu Dhabi.

 

The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, established in 2004, has increasingly sought a diplomatic role in the region, with Beijing recently brokering an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to re-establish ties.