China backs East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital

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China on Thursday backed the Muslim world’s declaration of East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital that came in response to US President Donald Trump’s decision last week recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Beijing also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“China understands the concern held by the Islamic countries over the status of Jerusalem. We support the settlement of this issue in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and international consensus," China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters on Thursday.

"We also support the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border,” Lu said, adding: “We hope that the negotiation between Palestine and Israel could be resumed at an early date so as to reach a comprehensive, fair and enduring solution to the Palestinian issue.”

Leaders and representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 13, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The Chinese reaction came after the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – a 57-member body that is widely referred to as the "collective voice of the Muslim world" – in an extraordinary summit in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Wednesday called on the world powers to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the “State of Palestine” while urging the US to revoke its decision that recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Trump’s decision has made China cautious about the region’s security with its embassy in Tel Aviv issuing a travel warning, valid till January 10, 2018, and at least two Chinese firms cancelling visits to Israel in recent days, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

Last Saturday, just three days after Trump’s controversial announcement, a number of Israeli startups were notified that Shen Haiyin, CEO and founder of the Chinese company Singulato currently developing a miniature electric car, had cancelled his visit just six hours before his flight, the report said. Shen was supposed to arrive for a series of meetings with Israeli high-tech companies.

China’s largest Internet company Tencent also cancelled a scheduled visit to Israel by its delegation, according to the Haaretz report.

China replacing US as key influencer?

A man wearing a mask with an image of the Dome of the Rock takes part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 13, 2017. /Reuters Photo

China’s increasing interest in the Middle East and its recent positions have led international analysts to speculate whether Beijing would eventually replace the US as the key influencer in the region.

“China has been rising in national power and steadily moving toward the center stage of world politics. It is now eager to play a bigger role in international affairs in general and in the Middle East in particular,” emphasized an earlier report in The Diplomat magazine.

“China’s growing economic ties with both Israel and Arab nations and its lack of religious and political baggage make it an ideal candidate to break the gridlocks in the Middle East and initiate constructive changes,” it added.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted the OIC summit in Istanbul, said that the unilateral US decision on Jerusalem meant Washington had forfeited its role as broker in efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attend a news conference following the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 13, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"From now on, it is out of the question for a biased United States to be a mediator between Israel and Palestine, that period is over," Erdogan said at the end of the OIC meeting. "We need to discuss who will be a mediator from now on. This needs to be tackled in the UN too," Erdogan said.

A communique posted on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website said the emirs, presidents and ministers gathered in Istanbul regarded Trump's move "as an announcement of the US Administration's withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the United Nations to replace the US as a mediator for any possible Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

“While we engaged with them [the US] in the peace process for the sake of a deal for the ages, [US President Donald Trump] delivered a slap for the ages. We will no longer accept that [the US has a role in the political process [as a mediator], Abbas said at the OIC as he expressed “shock” over Trump’s decision to reverse decades-old American policy.

'No negative historical legacy'

This combination of two photos show Chinese President Xi Jinping with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Beijing on July 18 and March 21, 2017, respectively. /Reuters Photo

The Israeli-Palestinian dispute has been the most contentious conflict in the Middle East. The US has attempted to mediate a solution for decades but has always been seen by the Arabs and Muslims as taking the side of Israel. Trump’s latest move has confirmed the view that the US can’t be an impartial mediator in the conflict.

China, on the other hand, has built strong ties with both Israel and its Arab and Muslim neighbors and, unlike other great powers, it has no negative historical legacy in the Middle East. It is therefore seen as an “ideal alternative” to the US as the dominant power in the region by many observers.

“China enjoys a number of advantages over the United States (and other great powers such as Great Britain, France, Germany, or Russia) in the Middle East. First, it lacks the religious, colonial, and historical baggage that weighs down many other nations. By refusing to get entangled in violence between Arabs and Israelis, China has demonstrated that it holds no preference between Jews and Muslims,” according to The Diplomat.

“China has also avoided the quagmire of picking sides between competing Muslim sects. Plus, geographic and demographic divisions in the Middle East cannot be attributed to the Chinese... More importantly, China enjoys normal relations with all Middle Eastern countries. Lastly, one should not discount China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ plan and its ability to bring change to the region,” it concluded.

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