China says 'disappointed' by U.S. veto of Palestine's pursuit of full UN membership

The United States vetoed a widely back UN resolution on Thursday that would have recognized a Palestinian state. China called Washington's move "disappointing."

"Today is a sad day," said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, after the UN vote on Palestine's pursuit of full UN membership. Twelve members out of the 15-member Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, while the UK and Switzerland abstained and the U.S. voted against it. 

"Because of the veto by the United States, the application by Palestine for full membership at the UN has been rejected, and the decades-long dream of the Palestinian people ruthlessly dashed," Fu said. 

The Chinese envoy slammed the notion that Palestine does not have the capacity to govern itself. "Over the past 13 years, the situation in Palestine has changed in many ways, the most fundamental of which has been the expansion of settlements in the West Bank," Fu gave China's support, denouncing Washington's "gangster logic."

He also highlighted the critical need for a resolute commitment to revitalizing the two-state solution for the Middle Eastern country. 

"The two-state solution must be revitalized with strong determination. The fundamental way out for the Middle East question lies in the implementation of the two-state solution, so that both Palestinians and Israelis can realize common security and both the Arab and Jewish peoples can achieve common development," said Fu in an earlier Security Council's open debate on the Palestinian-Israeli issue also held on Thursday. 

This is the second Palestinian attempt at full membership: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas first delivered the application in 2011 but failed due to not enough support from UN Security Council members. 

Abbas, this time, criticized the U.S. veto, saying in a statement that it was "unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations."