Palestinian President Abbas to Visit China for Regional Engagement

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit China next week after Beijing expressed willingness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. China has positioned itself as a mediator in the Middle East, a region where the United States has been the main powerbroker for decades. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts that his country was willing to aid peace negotiations and supports the resumption of talks as soon as possible and pushes for implementing a “two-state solution”.