Beijing negotiations: China's role in the Palestinian peace process

Editor's note: Wang Yingliang, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, earned a PhD from the Center for American Studies, Fudan University. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Recently, the Chinese government hosted representatives of 14 Palestinian factions, including senior Hamas and Fatah officials in Beijing. They pledged to end their divisions and strengthen Palestinian unity by signing the Beijing Declaration. From the perspective of international peace and regional security, the Chinese government is trying to bridge the differences between rival Palestinian factions that have long competed for power in Gaza and the West Bank.

For the past 17 years, the United Nations and countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Switzerland and China have been trying to bridge the sharp, tangled divide between the two Palestinian political and strategic factions, Hamas and Fatah. While those attempts resulted in agreements and public statements from both sides, reconciliation has seemed elusive since violence broke out between the two rival factions in 2007, culminating in Hamas's bloody takeover of the Gaza Strip. As Israel and Hamas make progress on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, discussions about the future of the "enclave" have become more urgent.

At the meeting in China, all Palestinian factions agreed to achieve comprehensive Palestinian national unity, including all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and are committed to establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with United Nations resolutions. They are also committed to ensuring that Palestine is protected in accordance with Resolution 194 of the United Nations General Assembly which includes the right of people to return to Palestine.

Participants also agreed that the Palestinian people have the right to resist the occupation and end it in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. They decided to issue a decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in accordance with Palestine's Basic Law to form an interim national unity government based on the consensus of all Palestinian factions.

The government will first unify all Palestinian institutions in the territory of the State of Palestine, launch reconstruction work in the Gaza Strip, and prepare for general elections as soon as possible under the supervision of the Central Election Commission in accordance with the approved electoral law.

This meeting had broad political representation. Despite their differences of opinion, the various Palestinian political factions holding the meeting in Beijing agreed on a collective mechanism to implement the various contents of the declaration and decided to formulate a timetable for the implementation of the declaration.

In practice, China succeeded in mediating the breakthrough agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize relations in 2023, and China has been playing an increasingly obvious role in the peace and reconciliation process in the Middle East. China does not show any political favoritism but instead strives to mediate and promote consensus among various factions based on the overall interests of the Palestinian nation of peace, reconciliation and national development. In the face of China's active role, American media and Israeli scholars have criticized China. It's hard to believe that a party that does not act always makes fun of a party that does.

The Beijing meeting reflected the great national will and the concept of sovereignty held by various political factions of Palestine, and their strong enthusiasm for building an independent country. In reality, the Chinese government has the courage to take on some difficult international affairs, and the world can see China's influence in the Palestinian domestic peace and nation-building process.

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