Wang says China is a peacemaker and wants the fighting in the Middle East to stop

At the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to show that his country is a world peacemaker. He called for an end to fighting in the Middle East and talked about Beijing’s diplomacy efforts to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Wang spoke after Israel killed the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah in a massive airstrike in Beirut on Friday. This caused fears of a bigger regional war in addition to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that started almost a year ago.

“The Palestinian question is the deepest wound on the conscience of all people.” As we speak, the fighting in Gaza is still going on, and more people are dying every day. There is fighting again in Lebanon, but Wang said, “Might cannot replace justice.”

“There must not be any delay in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, and the fundamental way out lies in the two-state solution.”

China, which has the second-largest economy in the world, has recently become more involved in a number of problems in an effort to compete with Washington’s traditional role as a global mediator.

In July, it held talks in Beijing between warring Palestinian groups like Hamas and Fatah. President Xi Jinping helped make a deal in March 2023 that ended a diplomatic rift between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. did not take part in the plan.

Wang said at the U.N., “Peace is the most valuable thing in our world right now.” “One ray of hope is enough to keep going for the sake of peace.” Even the tiniest chance calls for a hundred times as much work.”

UKRAINE’S PLAN FOR PEACE

A plan for talks to end the war in Ukraine is Beijing’s most important peace attempt.

The attack by Russia is now in its third year, and the two sides are still very far apart on how to make peace.

China and Brazil have suggested that Kyiv and Moscow hold new talks, and this week, countries from the Global South came together to support that idea.

At the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, brushed off China and Brazil’s efforts to make peace. He asked them why they were suggesting an alternative to his own plan and warned them, “You will not gain power at Ukraine’s expense.”

“China is committed to playing a constructive role, engaging in shuttle mediation and promoting talks for peace, not throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains,” he said.

Later that same day, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, told reporters at the United Nations that he wanted to know how China and Brazil’s plan will actually work to bring about peace. He also said that it was important that their ideas are “based on the realities” of the conflict.

According to Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, China’s support for peace in Ukraine while also helping Russia make missiles, rockets, armed vehicles, and weapons “doesn’t add up.”

Even though the world is trying to make peace, China is still in a maritime conflict with some of its neighbors, who are afraid of a more assertive Beijing.

“Reunification” between China and Taiwan is unavoidable, according to Xi. China also claims to be the only country with control over the Taiwan Strait, which is part of the South China Sea.

The United States and Taiwan both say that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway. It is a major trade route that about half of all container ships in the world use.

Wang told the crowd, “The complete reunification of China will be achieved.” “Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland.”