President Xi Jinping reiterated China's commitment to the "two-state solution" to resolve the Middle East conflict in a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, calling for dialogue and negotiation on equal footing. 

China will continue to promote a "comprehensive, fair and sustainable" settlement of the Palestinian issue at an early date, Xi said, describing it as a core issue in the Middle East. 

China has repeatedly voiced concerns about Israel's plan of annexing parts of the West Bank and reaffirmed its support to Palestine in building an independent and sovereign state on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.  

Noting that China and Palestine are "good brothers, good friends and good partners," Xi said the two sides have always trusted each other and firmly supported each other on issues involving their respective core issues and major concerns.

China has provided several batches of medical supplies and sent expert teams to Palestine for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, adding that China will continue to share the experience with Palestine and provide supplies and technological support. 

Abbas thanked China for helping Palestine fight the pandemic and upholding justice on the Palestinian issue, hailing China as the "most trustworthy friend" of Palestinians. 

He said Palestine will continue to support China's legitimate position on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other issues concerning its core interests.