Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Experts split over China's moves on the Middle East following Trump's decision on Jerusalem

Lim Yan Liang China Correspondent 


BEIJING - China has expressed renewed interest in playing a larger role in the Middle East peace process, a move that some see as invaluable given how the latest US actions have unnerved the region.
At a forum in Beijing last Saturday (Dec 9), Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China's willingness to bring Israeli and Palestinian representatives together for a dialogue by year end.
The offer came just a month after its special envoy on Middle East affairs, Gong Xiaosheng, concluded a visit to Israel and Palestine, and said both parties welcomed China's involvement in the peace talks and were ready to work with China to find a solution.
China had proposed a trilateral dialogue with Palestine and Israel in July, following separate visits by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Beijing.